4LNJL&  i)£  CALIF.  LUJIUitY,  LOS  ANGELES 


ALTON    OF  SOMASCO 


"A   FALL  OR  A   BIG  RAPID.      WE'VE   GOT  TO  GO  THROUGH." 

— Page  214. 


ALTON  OF  SOMASCO 


A  ROMANCE  OF  THE  GREAT  NORTHWEST 


BY 
HAROLD  BINDLOSS 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  i 


COPYRIGHT,  1905 
BY  FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


This  Edition  Issued  in  March,  1906. 


CHAP.  TAG* 

I  THE   FIRST   ENCOUNTER              .            .           ...         I 

ii  AT  TOWNSHEAD'S  RANCH        .         » ,       .       >.        .     12 

III  HARRY  THE  TEAMSTER  .  .  ...  .22 

IV  HALLAM  OF  THE  TYEE   .           .           .           .    .       ,            '35 
V  THE   HEIR  OF  CARNABY             ,           .            .           .            .      45 

VI  MISS   DERINGHAM   MAKES   FRIENDS   .            .            .            •       55 

VII  ALTON    BLUNDERS              .            .'         .            .            .            .65 

viii  HALLAM'S  CONFEDERATE        .        t  .    •  .        ,        .    76 

IX  MISS   DERINGHAM   FEELS   SLIGHTED               .            ,            .86 

X  THE   UNDELIVERED  MESSAGE  .            .            .            *            .98 

XI  CONFIDENCE  MISPLACED            .           .            .           *           .    IOQ 

XII      IN   VANCOUVER 121 

XIII  THE   SOMASCO  CONSOLIDATED  .  .  .  .13! 

XIV  THE  COMPACT         .  .  .  .  .  .  .142 

XV  ON  THE   TRAIL        .            .                    .  «           .           .            .153 

XVI  CAUSE   FOR  ANXIETY       .            .           .           .            „            .    162 

XVII  ALONE              .            .            .'            .            .            •            ,           .171 

XVIII  IN  THE   WILDERNESS       .            .            .                         .            .    l8o 

XIX      FOUL  PLAY 189 

XX      THE  NICKED  BULLET 198 

xxi  OKANAGAN'S  ROAD        ...                ,        ,  207 


2125947 


CONTENTS 


XXII  MISS   DERINGHAM   DECIDES       .                                                    2l8 

XXIII  THE  AWAKENING  .....  .    227 

XXIV  HALLAM   TRIES  AGAIN  .           .           .           .           .    238 
XXV  ALTON   IS   SILENT          ...           .           .           .           .    248 

XXVI  WITHOUT  COUNTING  THE  COST          ....    261 

XXVII  THE   FORCE  OF  CALUMNY          .....    271 

XXVIII  ALTON   FINDS  A  WAY      ......    282 

XXIX  THE   PRICE  OF   DELAY     .           .           .                       .           .291 

xxx  SEAFORTH'S  REINSTATEMENT  .        .        .        .        .301 

xxxi  "THE  THIRD  TIME"       .        .        .        .        .        .312 

XXXII  ALTON  HOLDS  HIS   HAND           .           .           .           .           .322 

xxxiii  MISS  DERINGHAM'S  CONFESSION      ....  332 

XXXIV  THE  CONSUMMATION        ......    342 


vi 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


A    FALL    OR    A    BIG    RAPID.      WE  VE    GOT    TO    GO 

THROUGH"    .......        Frontispiece 

THE     CAYUSE      ROSE      UPRIGHT     WITH      FORE-HOOFS 
LIFTED,     AND     THE     MAN'S     ARM     WAS     DRAWN 

BACK  TO  STRIKE  ......     Facing  page  2 

"THERE  WAS  A  RIVER  AND  BIG  BOULDERS  SOME 

FIVE  HUNDRED  FEET  BELOW"         ...  "58 

ALTON  LEANED  BACK  WITH  A  LITTLE  GESTURE  OF 

CONTENT "  "    144 

WITH  ALTON'S  HAND  AT  HIS  THROAT   .         .         .  "  194 

"REMEMBER  YOU'RE  RIDING  FOR  ALL  OF  us  AND 

SOMASCO,"   CRIED   SOMEBODY   ....""   349 


VW 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 


CHAPTER  I, 

THE  FIRST  ENCOUNTER 

IT  was  snowing  slowly  and  persistently,  as  it  had  done 
all  day,  when  Henry  Alton  of  Somasco  ranch  stood 
struggling  with  a  half-tamed  Cayuse  pony  in  a  Brit- 
ish Columbian  settlement.  The  Cayuse  had  laid  its  ears 
back,  and  was  describing  a  circle  round  him,  scattering 
mud  and  snow,  while  the  man  who  gripped  the  bridle  in 
a  lean,  brown  hand  watched  it  without  impatience,  ad- 
miringly. 

"Game!"  he  said.  "I  like  them  that  way.  Still,  it 
isn't  every  man  could  seize  a  pack  on  him,  and  you'll  have 
to  let  up  three  dollars  on  the  price  you  asked  me." 

Now  three  dollars  is  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
value  of  an  Indian  pony  fresh  from  the  northern  grass 
lands,  with  the  devil  that  lurks  in  most  of  his  race  still 
unsubdued  within  him,  but  the  rancher  who  owned  him  did 
not  immediately  reject  the  offer.  Possibly  he  was  not 
especially  anxious  to  keep  the  beast. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  a  bystander.  "  He's  game  enough,  and 
I'd  ask  the  boys  to  my  funeral  if  I  meant  to  drive  him  at 
night  over  the  lake  trail.  After  being  most  kicked  into 
wood-pulp  Carter  hasn't  any  more  use  for  him,  and  I'll 
lay  you  a  dollar,  Alton,  you  and  your  partner  can't  put 
the  pack  on  him." 

Perhaps  the  Cayuse  was  tired,  or  desirous  of  watching 
for  an  opportunity,  for  it  came  to  a  standstill,  snorting, 
with  its  wicked  eyes  upon  the  man,  who  laughed  a  little 
and  shoved  back  the  broad  hat  from  his  forehead  as  he 
straightened  himself.  The  laugh  rang  pleasantly,  and  the 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

faint  twinkle  in  Alton's  eyes  was  in  keeping  with  it.  They 
were  grey,  and  steady  when  the  light  sank  out  of  them, 
and  the  rest  of  the  bronzed  face  was  shrewd  and  quietly 
masterful.  He  wore  a  deerskin  jacket  fancifully  embroi- 
dered, blue  canvas  overalls,  and  gum  boots  to  the  knee, 
while,  though  all  of  them  needed  repair,  the  attire  was  pic- 
turesque, and  showed  its  wearer's  lean  symmetry.  The 
man's  age  was  apparently  twenty-five,  and  eight  years'  use 
of  the  axe  had  set  a  stamp  of  springy  suppleness  upon  him. 
He  had  also  wrested  rather  more  than  a  livelihood  from  the 
Canadian  forest  during  them. 

All  round  him  the  loghouses  rose  in  all  their  unadorned 
dinginess  beneath  the  sombre  pines,  and  the  largest  of 
them  bore  a  straggling  legend  announcing  that  it  was  Hor- 
ton's  store  and  hotel.  A  mixed  company  of  bush  ranchers, 
free  prospectors,  axemen,  and  miners  lounged  outside  it 
in  picturesque  disarray,  and  high  above  rose  a  dim  white 
line  of  never-melting  snow. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  it's  time  this  circus  was  over, 
anyway,  and  if  Carter  will  take  my  bid  I'll  clinch  that 
deal  with  you.  Have  the  pack  and  seizing's  handy, 
Charley." 

The  rancher  nodded,  and  Alton  got  a  tighter  grip  on 
the  bridle.  Then  the  Cayuse  rose  upright  with  fore-hoofs 
lifted,  and  the  man's  arm  was  drawn  back  to  strike.  The 
hoofs  came  down  harmlessly,  but  the  fist  got  home,  and 
for  a  moment  or  two  there  was  a  swaying  and  plunging 
of  man  and  beast  amidst  the  hurled-up  snow.  Then  the 
Cayuse  was  borne  backwards  until  the  vicinity  of  the  hotel 
verandah  left  no  room  for  kicking,  and  another  man  hastily 
flung  a  rope  round  the  bundles  he  piled  upon  its  back.  He 
was  also  tolerably  capable,  and  in  another  minute  the 
struggle  was  over.  The  Cayuse's  attitude  expressed  in- 
dignant astonishment,  while  Alton  stood  up  breathless, 
with  his  knuckles  bleeding. 

"  I'll  trouble  you  for  that  dollar,  and  I'll  keep  him  now," 
he  said.  "  Can  you  wait  until  I  come  down  next  week, 
Carter?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  rancher.  "  Your  promise  is  good 
enough  for  a  year  or  two." 


THE  CAYUSE  ROSE  UPRIGHT  WITH   FORE-HOOFS  LIFTED,  AND 
THE  MAN'S  ARM  WAS    DRAWN   BACK  TO  STRIKE. — Page  2. 


THE   FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

The  speaker  was  a  sinewy  bushman  in  curiously  patched 
overalls  with  a  bronzed  and  honest  face,  and  he  turned 
aside  with  a  little  gesture  of  dislike,  when  a  man  of  a  very 
different  stamp  pushed  by  him.  The  latter  wore  a  black 
felt  hat  and  a  great  fur-lined  coat,  while  his  face  was  pale 
and  fleshy  and  his  eyes  were  cunning.  His  appearance 
suggested  prosperity  and  a  life  of  indulgence  in  the  cities, 
and  when  he  stopped  in  front  of  Alton  the  latter  would 
have  lost  little  by  any  comparison  between  the  pair.  The 
pose  of  his  sinewy  figure  and  the  clear  brownness  of  his 
skin  spoke  of  arduous  labour,  sound  sleep,  and  the  vigour 
that  comes  from  a  healthful  occupation.  The  steady 
directness  of  his  gaze  and  quiet  immobility  of  his  face  also 
conveyed  an  indefinite  suggestion  of  power  and  endurance, 
and  there  was  a  curious  grace  in  his  movements  when  he 
turned  courteously  towards  the  stranger. 

"  You  soon  fixed  him,  packer,"  said  the  city  man. 

Alton  laughed.  "  The  boys  mostly  call  me  rancher," 
said  he.  "  Still,  it  don't  count  for  much,  and  I  do  some 
packing  occasionally." 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  the  stranger  sharply,  for  there 
was  something  in  Alton's  answer  which  made  him  inclined 
to  assert  his  dignity.  "  Everybody  seems  to  be  a  rancher 
hereaway,  and  you  mayn't  be  too  proud  to  put  through  a 
job  for  me." 

Alton  nodded,  and  glanced  at  the  speaker  questioningly. 

"  No.    If  it  would  fit  in,"  he  said. 

"  I'm  Hallam,"  said  the  other  man.  "  Hallam  and  Vose, 
of  the  Tyee  mineral  claim.  They've  been  fooling  things 
up  yonder,  big  pump's  given  out,  and  I've  a  few  hundred 
pounds  of  engine  fixings  back  at  the  railroad  I  want 
brought  in  by  to-morrow." 

Alton  glanced  at  the  pack-beasts  waiting  unloaded  out- 
side the  store,  and  shook  his  head.  "  I'm  sorry  I  can't 
trade  with  you,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  I've  promised  another 
man  to  pack  up  some  stores  for  him." 

Hallam  made  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  Then  you  can 
let  him  wait,"  he  said.  "  This  deal  will  pay  you  better. 
You  can  put  your  own  price  on  it." 

Alton's  eyelids  came  down  a  little,  and  the  stranger 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

seemed  to  find  his  glance  disconcerting.  "  You  don't  seem 
to  understand.  I  promised  the  other  man  to  bring  up  his 
things,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Hallam,  "  come  along  into  the  shanty  yon- 
der, and  have  a  drink  with  me.  We  may  fix  up  some  way 
of  getting  over  the  difficulty." 

"  Sorry ! "  said  Alton  with  a  suspicious  quietness.  "  I 
don't  drink  much,  anyway,  and  then  only  with  the  boys 
who  know  me." 

"  Hey ! "  said  Hallam.  "  You  are  talking  like  a  con- 
demned Englishman." 

"I  can't  help  that,"  said  Alton.  "  I  am  a  Canadian,  but 
if  you  want  another  reason,  it  wouldn't  suit  me  to  drink 
with  you,  anyway.  You  see,  you  didn't  do  the  square 
thing  with  one  or  two  friends  of  mine  who  worked  on  the 
Tyee." 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  Hallam,  who  was  a  man  of 
some  importance  in  the  cities,  gasped  with  astonishment 
and  indignation. 

"  What  is  that  fellow?  "  he  said. 

The  man  laughed,  and  answered  him  in  the  bushman's 
slowest  drawl.  "  You  don't  know  much,  or  you  wouldn't 
ask,"  said  he.  "He's  Alton  of  Somasco,  but  if  he  lives 
long  enough  he  will  be  one  of  the  biggest  men  in  this 
country." 

Hallam  said  nothing,  but  there  was  a  curious  look  in  his 
face  which  puzzled  the  rancher.  It  suggested  that  he  had 
heard  of  Alton,  and  something  more. 

Meanwhile  Alton  entered  the  store,  where  the  man  who 
kept  it  pointed  to  a  litter  of  packages  strewn  about  the 
floor  and  sundry  bags  upon  the  counter. 

"That's  Townshead's  lot,  and  those  are  Thomson's 
things,"  he  said,  and  turned  aside  to  listen  to  a  rancher 
who  came  in  smiling. 

Alton  took  up  a  big  cotton  bag  marked  Townshead, 
tossed  it  aloft  and  caught  it,  and  then  shook  his  head 
dubiously.  "  That's  rather  too  light  for  ten  pounds.  You 
want  to  try  her  on  the  scales  again,"  he  said. 

The  storekeeper,  who  was  also  a  magistrate,  grinned 
good-humouredly.  "  It's  good  enough  for  the  money,  any- 


THE   FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

way,"  said  he.  "  But  what's  the  matter  with  the  Tyee 
dollars,  Harry,  that  you  wouldn't  do  Hallam's  pack- 
ing?" 

Alton  glanced  at  him  gravely.  "  I  think  not,"  said  he. 
"  Put  another  pound  or  two  into  her,  and  I'll  pay  you 
on  your  invoice  for  the  last  lot  you  sent  me.  Otherwise 
I'm  going  to  whittle  down  that  bill  considerably.  You 
see  Townshead  is  too  shaky  to  come  down,  and  he  can't 
live  on  nothing." 

"And  the  Lord  knows  when  he'll  pay  you,"  said  the 
storekeeper.  "  It's  a  good  twelve  months  since  he  sent  a 
dollar  to  me." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  I  can  wait,"  he  said.  "  Fill  that 
bag  up  again.  Get  hold  of  the  truck,  Charley." 

Charles  Seaforth,  who  was  apparently  younger,  and  cer- 
tainly a  trifle  more  fastidious  about  his  attire  than  his 
comrade,  shouldered  a  flour  bag,  and  twenty  minutes 
later  he  and  Alton  tramped  out  of  the  settlement  with 
three  loaded  beasts  splashing  and  floundering  in  front  of 
them.  It  was  almost  dark  now,  though  a  line  of  snow 
still  glimmered  white  and  cold  high  up  beyond  the  trees 
until  the  trail  plunged  into  the  blackness  of  the  forest. 
Then  the  lights  of  the  settlement  were  blotted  out  behind 
them,  the  hum  of  voices  ceased,  and  they  were  alone  in  the 
primeval  silence  of  the  bush.  The  thud  and  splash  of 
tired  hoofs  only  served  to  emphasize  it,  the  thin  jingle  of 
steel  or  creak  of  pack-rope  was  swallowed  up  and  lost,  for 
the  great  dim  forest  seemed  to  mock  at  anything  man 
could  do  to  disturb  its  pristine  serenity.  It  had  shrouded 
all  that  valley,  where  no  biting  gale  ever  blew,  from  the 
beginning,  majestic  in  its  solitary  grandeur  and  eternally 
green.  Pine  and  hemlock,  balsam  and  cedar,  had  followed 
in  due  succession  others  that  had  grown  to  the  fulness  of 
their  stature  only  in  centuries,  and  their  healing  essence, 
which  brings  sound  sleep  to  man's  jaded  body  and  tran- 
quillity to  his  mind,  had  doubtless  risen  like  incense  when 
all  was  made  very  good. 

Now  Alton  loved  the  wilderness,  partly  because  he  had 
been  born  in  it,  and  because  he  had  a  large  share  of  the 
spirit  of  his  race.  He  had  also  seen  the  cities,  and  they 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

did  not  greatly  please  him,  though  he  had  watched  their 
inhabitants  curiously  and  been  taught  a  good  deal  about 
them  by  what  he  read  in  books,  which  to  the  wonder  of 
his  associates  he  would  spend  hardly-earned  dollars  upon. 
It  was  more  curious  that  he  understood  all  he  read,  and 
sometimes  more  than  the  writer  apparently  did,  for  Alton 
was  not  only  the  son  of  a  clever  man,  but  had  seen  Nature 
in  her  primitive  nakedness  and  the  human  passions  that 
usually  lie  beneath  the  surface,  for  man  reverts  a  little  and 
the  veneer  of  his  civilization  wears  through  in  the  silent 
bush. 

Thus  he  plodded  on  contentedly  on  his  twelve-mile  march, 
with  the  snow  and  the  mire  beneath  it  reaching  now  and 
then  to  his  knee,  until  his  companion  stopped  beside  a  little 
bark  shanty  and  lighted  a  lantern. 

"Thomson's  dumping-place  already,"  he  said,  pulling  a 
burst  cotton  bag  out  of  the  sack  of  sundries  upon  the 
Cayuse  pony's  back.  "  Some  of  it  has  got  out,  and  Jimmy 
was  always  particular  about  the  weight  of  his  sugar.  Well, 
the  rest  of  it  must  be  in  the  bottom  somewhere,  and  if 
you'll  hold  the  sack  up  I'll  shake  it  into  my  hat." 

Alton's  hat  was  capacious,  and  he  had  worn  it  during 
the  two  years  which  had  elapsed  since  his  last  visit  to 
Vancouver,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  occur  to  him  that  it 
was  in  any  way  an  unusual  receptacle  for  sugar.  His  com- 
panion, however,  laughed  a  little  as  he  stirred  the  sticky 
mass  round  with  his  wet  fingers. 

"  There  is  no  use  giving  him  our  tobacco  and  matches 
in,"  said  he.  "  Here  are  the  letters  Mrs.  Neilson  gave  me 
at  the  post-office,  too." 

Alton  took  the  letters,  and  his  face  grew  a  trifle  grim 
under  the  flickering  light  of  the  lantern  as  he  thrust  them 
crumpled  into  his  pocket.  "  From  England,  and  they  will 
keep,"  he  said.  "  There's  nobody  I'm  anxious  to  hear 
from  in  that  country.  Now  we'll  go  on  again,  Charley." 

The  Cayuse,  however,  objected,  and  there  was  a  struggle 
before  Alton  convinced  it  that  resistance  would  be  useless, 
while  presently  the  trail  grew  steeper  and  the  roar  of  watet 
came  out  of  the  darkness  before  them. 

"  This,"  said  Alton  gravely,  "  is  a  great  country,  but  it's 


THE   FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

mighty  unfinished  yet,  and  it  kind  of  hurts  me  to  see  all 
that  power  wasted." 

"  Wasted  ?  "  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  "  Don't  the  salmon 
swim  in  it,  and  the  bear  and  deer  come  down  to  drink  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Alton.  "  And  sometimes  the  Siwash 
wash  themselves  in  it  too,  but  that's  not  the  question. 
This  earth  wasn't  made  for  the  bear  and  deer,  and  they've 
thousands  of  poor  folks  they  can't  find  a  use  for  back  there 
in  the  old  country.  Isn't  that  so,  Charley  ?  " 

Seaforth,  who  was  a  young  Englishman  of  good  up- 
bringing, laughed.  "  I  have  no  reason  for  doubting  it," 
said  he.  "  In  any  case,  none  of  my  worthy  relations 
had  any  use  for  me.  Still,  I  don't  see  the  connection 
exactly." 

"No?"  said  Alton.  "Well,  it's  simple.  We  have  the 
gold  and  silver,  and  the  coal  and  iron,  too,  while  it  don't 
strike  one  that  these  forests  were  put  here  just  to  look 
pretty." 

"  The  metals  you  allude  to  take  some  trouble  in  getting 
out,"  said  Seaforth  dryly. 

Alton  nodded.  "Of  course,"  he  said.  "That's  what 
man  got  his  brains  for,  and  the  one  difference  between  a 
white  man  and  a  Siwash  is  that  he's  always  striking  for 
something  better." 

Seaforth  laughed.  "  You  are  trying  to  get  at  something, 
as  usual,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  I  generally  am.  Well,  I 
can  see  what  we  don't  want  of  these  forests  sailing  sawn 
up  to  China,  and  this  river  sprinkled  with  sawmills  and 
wood-pulp  factories.  Then  I  can  hear  the  big  dynamoes 
humming,  and  the  thump  of  the  mine  stamps  run  with  the 
current  the  men  who  put  them  down  will  get  for  nothing. 
What  we're  wasting  round  Somasco  is  going  to  feed  ten 
thousand  people  by  and  by." 

"It's  a  big  idea,"  said  Seaforth  reflectively.  "Still,  I 
don't  know  that  if  it  were  ever  put  through  the  place 
would  look  any  prettier — and  the  question  is,  who's  going 
to  set  the  whole  thing  running  ?  " 

"  God  knows,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  But  somebody 
will,  and  if  I  live  long  enough  I'll  make  a  shot  at  it.  Oh, 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

yes,  it's  very  pretty  as  it  is,  but  the  greatest  thing  in  this 
world  is  man,  and  it  was  made  as  it  is  for  him  to  master." 

"  You  have  curious  notions  for  a  Canadian  bush 
rancher,"  said  Seaforth.  "  You  are,  however,  really  an 
Englishman,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton  grimly.  "  My  father  used  to  be,  but 
he  was  too  much  of  my  way  of  thinking  and  they  fired 
him  out  of  the  country.  It's  a  thing  I  don't  like  to  talk  of, 
Charley,  and  just  now  I'm  a  low-down  packer  hauling  in 
a  pile  of  truck  I'll  never  get  paid  for.  Steady,  come  up. 
There's  nothing  going  to  hurt  you,  Julius  Caesar." 

The  snarling  and  spitting  of  a  panther  came  out  of  the 
darkness,  and  it  was  only  by  main  force  Alton  dragged 
the  Cayuse  past.  Then  he  laughed  a  little.  "It's  a  pity 
we  didn't  bring  a  rifle  along,"  he  said.  "  Panthers  must 
have  been  made  for  something,  or  they  wouldn't  be  here, 
but  it's  a  beast  a  white  man  has  no  'kind  of  use  for." 

It  was  an  hour  later,  and  snowing  fast,  when  they  climbed 
out  of  the  valley  and  floundered  over  shale  and  slippery 
rock  amidst  scattered  pines  to  the  forking  of  the  trail. 
One  arm  of  it  dipped  again,  and  wound  through  a  deep 
sheltered  hollow  to  the  Somasco  ranch,  the  other  ran 
straight  along  the  hillside  to  Townshead's  dwelling.  The 
hillside  was  also  steep,  the  beasts  were  tired,  and  the  trail 
was  very  bad.  Seaforth  glanced  at  his  comrade  when  they 
stopped  a  moment,  and  saw  him  dimly,  tugging  at  the 
Cayuse's  bridle,  through  the  snow. 

"  It's  a  long  way  to  Townshead's.  Still,  I  think  we  can 
make  it  out/'  he  said. 

Alton  laughed.  "  We  have  got  to.  There's  not  gener- 
ally too  much  to  eat  at  that  house,  and  they'll  want  the 
things,"  he  said. 

There  was  another  struggle  with  the  Cayuse,  which  ap- 
peared reluctant  to  face  a  treacherous  ascent  whose  slope 
was  somewhat  steeper  than  the  pitch  of  an  average  roof, 
but  once  more  Alton  conquered,  and  they  dragged  the 
beasts  up,  and  then  floundered  on  doggedly  beside  them, 
seeing  nothing  but  a  dim  pine  or  two  through  the  snow. 
Now  and  then  there  was  a  rattle  and  a  rush  beneath  them, 
followed  by  a  faint  splash,  and  Seaforth  shivered  a  little, 

8 


THE    FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

knowing  that  the  shingle  they  dislodged  had  plunged  into 
a  lonely  lake  lying  far  below.  Still  Alton  said  nothing, 
but  floundered  on,  apparently  as  cheerfully  as  though  he 
would  be  well  paid  for  the  risk  he  ran,  until  he  crawled 
down  into  the  sliding  whiteness,  when  a  hide  strip  burst 
and  some  of  Townshead's  packages  were  scattered  about 
the  face  of  a  precipitous  declivity. 

Seaforth  held  his  breath  a  moment  as,  gripping  the 
bridle  of  a  trembling  beast,  he  watched  him  until  the  dim 
moving  figure  sank  into  the  snow.  He  could  hear  the 
wash  of  the  unfrozen  lake,  and  knew  there  was  no  foot- 
hold on  the  slippery  rock  which  sloped  almost  sheer  to  it 
through  the  darkness  close  beneath.  Then  a  voice  came 
up,  "  Wasn't  there  a  dry  goods  package  of  some  kind, 
Charley?" 

"  There  was,"  shouted  Seaforth.  "  But  come  up  with 
what  you've  got,  and  leave  it." 

A  faint  laugh  answered  him,  and  through  the  moaning 
of  the  pines  he  caught  the  words,  "  If  it's  not  over  the 
edge  here,  I'm  going  to  get  the  thing." 

Seaforth  said  nothing  further.  He  knew  his  comrade 
too  well,  and  could  picture  him  clinging  by  hand  and  heel 
as  he  crawled  along  the  brink  of  the  declivity  with  the  lake 
below,  and  gasped  from  relief  when  once  more  a  dim 
whitened  object  lurched  up  out  of  the  snow. 

"  Got  them  all,"  said  Alton  cheerfully.  "  That  last  one 
was  just  on  the  edge,  and  it  took  some  thinking  before  I 
could  get  at  it.  Still,  I  guessed  it  was  some  kind  of  dress 
stuff  for  the  girl,  and  if  we  lost  it  it  might  be  a  long  while 
before  she  got  another." 

They  relashed  the  packages  and  went  on  again,  flounder- 
ing through  steadily  deepening  snow,  until  once  more  the 
roar  of  water  met  them  as  they  dipped  into  a  hollow.  It 
grew  louder  rapidly,  and  presently  Alton  pulled  the  Cayuse 
up  on  the  brink  of  a  river.  It  came  down  frothing  out  of 
a  haze  of  sliding  snow,  tumbling  with  a  hoarse  growl  about 
the  great  dim  boulders,  whirled  and  tossed  in  a  white  con- 
fusion down  the  wild  race  of  a  rapid,  and  was  lost  again. 
How  far  the  other  bank  was  there  was  nothing  to  show,  for 
even  the  scattered  pines  behind  the  men  were  hidden  now, 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

and  Seaforth  stared  at  the  tumult  of  froth  before  him  very 
dubiously. 

0  She's  pretty  full  to-night,"  he  said.  "  It  has  got  to  be 
attempted,  but  I'm  not  quite  sure  how  we're  going 
through." 

Alton  laughed  a  little,  and  brought  his  hand  down  on 
the  Cayuse  pony's  flank.  "  Well,  if  you'll  come  along  be- 
hind me  you  will  see,"  said  he. 

Seaforth  was  waist-deep  next  minute,  and  the  water  was 
horribly  cold.  Then  he  was  washed  against  a  boulder,  and 
fancied  that  one  of  the  pack-beasts  kicked  him  in  its 
floundering.  In  any  case  one  knee  seemed  to  grow  sud- 
denly useless,  but  he  was  not  very  sure  of  anything  just 
then,  for  a  burst  of  spray  filled  his  eyes,  and  the  bottom 
appeared  to  slip  from  under  him.  He  found  foothold  again 
in  a  moment  or  two,  and  dimly  saw  Alton's  head  and 
shoulders  above  the  back  of  a  plunging  beast,  while  another 
was  apparently  swimming  somewhere  between  them.  Then 
the  one  Seaforth  led  stumbled,  and  they  went  away  down 
stream  together,  clawing  for  a  foothold  with  the  shingle 
slipping  under  them,  until  there  was  a  thud  as  they  brought 
up  against  another  boulder.  As  he  was  not  sensible  of  any 
especially  painful  blow  Seaforth  decided  that  it  was  the 
pony  which  had  struck  the  rock,  and  had  just  come  to  this 
decision  when  his  feet  were  swept  from  under  him,  and, 
still  clinging  to  the  bridle,  he  was  pressed  against  the  stone 
while  the  river  frothed  and  roared  about  him. 

Once  more  he  felt  that  it  was  horribly  cold,  and  flung  a 
wet  arm  about  the  rock,  but  the  power  seemed  to  go  out  of 
him,  and  he  wondered  vacantly  whether  the  pony  would  be 
able  to  extricate  itself  and  him.  It  floundered  spasmodi- 
cally for  a  while,  and  then  lay  still.  How  long  this  con- 
tinued Seaforth  did  not  know,  but  it  was  more  than  twelve 
hours  since  he  had  left  Somasco,  and  he  had  plodded  up 
and  down  steep  hillsides,  over  rock  and  boulder,  and  through 
deep  mire  and  snow,  most  of  the  time,  while  there  are 
limits  to  the  domination  the  will  of  any  man  may  exercise 
over  his  worn-out  body. 

Seaforth  had  commenced  to  realize,  still  with  a  curious 
absence  of  concern  which  was  possibly  the  result  of  cold 

10 


THE    FIRST   ENCOUNTER 

and  fatigue,  that  as  the  pony  could  not  help  him  it  might 
be  too  late  very  soon  unless  he  made  a  vigorous  effort  to 
help  himself,  when  he  heard  a  shout,  and  something  came 
slowly  through  the  sliding  whiteness  in  his  direction. 
Then  there  was  another  shout,  and  when  somebody  dragged 
the  pony  clear  of  the  boulder  he  held  on  by  the  bridle  and 
went  floundering  waist-deep  up  stream.  The  water,  how- 
ever, now  sank  rapidly,  and  soon  he  was  clear  of  it  to  the 
knee.  Then  there  was  a  clatter  of  hoofs  on  slippery  rock, 
and  he  lurched  dripping  and  gasping  into  the  partial  shelter 
of  the  pines.  Somebody  smote  him  on  the  shoulder,  and 
he  heard  Alton's  voice,  "  Get  hold  and  hustle.  We'll  fetch 
Townshead's  in  an  hour  or  so." 


II 


CHAPTER  II 
AT  TOWNSHEAD'S  RANCH 

IT  was  chilly  and  damp  in  the  log-walled  living-room 
of  the  Townshead  homestead,  which  stood  far  up  in  a  lonely 
valley  amidst  the  scattered  pines.  The  room  was  also  bare 
and  somewhat  comfortless,  for  the  land  was  too  poor  to 
furnish  its  possessor  with  more  than  necessities,  and  Towns- 
head  not  the  man  to  improve  it  much.  He  lay  in  an  old 
leather  chair  beside  the  stove,  a  slender,  grey-haired  man 
with  the  worn  look  of  one  whose  burden  had  been  too 
heavy  for  him.  His  face  was  thin  and  somewhat  haggard, 
his  long,  slender  hand  rather  that  of  an  artist  than  a  bush 
rancher,  and  his  threadbare  attire  was  curiously  neat.  He 
wore  among  other  somewhat  unusual  things  an  old  red 
velvet  jacket,  and  there  was  a  little  cup  of  black  coffee 
and  a  single  cigar  of  exceptional  quality  on  the  table  be- 
side him. 

Townshead  was,  in  fact,  somewhat  of  an  anachronism 
in  a  country  whose  inhabitants  exhibit  at  least  a  trace  of 
primitive  and  wholesome  barbarity.  One  could  have  fan- 
cied him  at  home  among  men  of  leisure  and  cultivated 
tastes,  but  he  seemed  out  of  place  in  a  log-built  ranch  in 
the  snow-wrapped  wilderness  swept  by  the  bitter  wind. 
Perhaps  he  realized  it,  for  his  voice  was  querulous  as  he 
said,  "I  wonder  if  you  have  forgotten,  Nellie,  that  we 
were  sitting  warm  and  safe  in  England  five  years  ago  to- 
night." 

Nellie  Townshead  looked  up  quickly  over  her  sewing 
from  the  other  side  of  the  stove,  and  for  a  moment  there 
was  something  akin  to  pain  in  her  eyes.  They  were  clear 
brown  eyes,  and  it  was  characteristic  that  they  almost 
immediately  brightened  into  a  smile,  for  while  the  girl's 
face  resembled  her  father's  in  its  refinement,  there  was 
courage  in  it  in  place  of  weariness. 


AT   TOWNSHEAD'S   RANCH 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do,  though  I  try  not  to,  and  am  generally 
able,"  she  said. 

Townshead  sighed.  "  The  young  are  fortunate,  for  they 
can  forget,"  he  said.  "  Even  that  small  compensation  is, 
however,  denied  to  me,  while  the  man  I  called  my  friend  is 
living  in  luxury  on  what  was  yours  and  mine.  Had  it 
been  any  one  but  Charters  I  might  have  borne  it  better, 
but  it  was  the  one  man  I  had  faith  in  who  sent  us  out  here 
to  penury." 

Townshead  was  wrong  in  one  respect,  for  it  was  the 
weakness  of  an  over-sensitive  temperament  which,  while 
friends  were  ready  to  help  him,  had  driven  him  to  hide 
himself  in  Western  Canada  when,  as  the  result  of  unwise 
speculations,  financial  disaster  overtook  him.  His  daugh- 
ter, however,  did  not  remind  him  of  this,  as  some  daughters 
would  have  done,  though  she  understood  it  well  enough, 
and  a  memory  out  of  keeping  with  the  patter  of  the  snow 
and  moaning  of  the  wind  rose  up  before  her  as  she  looked 
into  the  twinkling  stove.  She  could  recall  that  night  five 
years  ago  very  well,  for  she  had  spent  most  of  it  amidst 
lights  and  music,  as  fresh  and  bright  herself  as  the  flowers 
that  nestled  against  her  first  ball  dress.  It  was  a  night  of 
triumph  and  revelation,  in  which  she  had  first  felt  the  full 
power  of  her  beauty  and  her  sex,  and  she  had  returned 
with  the  glamour  of  it  all  upon  her  to  find  her  father 
sitting  with  his  head  in  his  hands  at  a  table  littered  with 
business  papers.  His  face  had  frightened  her,  and  it  had 
never  wholly  lost  the  look  she  saw  upon  it  then,  for  Towns- 
head  was  lacking  in  fibre,  and  had  found  that  a  fondness 
for  horses  and  some  experience  of  amateur  cattle-breeding 
on  a  small  and  expensive  scale  was  a  very  poor  preparation 
for  the  grim  reality  of  ranching  in  Western  Canada. 

Presently  his  daughter  brushed  the  memories  from  her, 
and  stood,  smiling  at  the  man,  straight  and  willowy  in  her 
faded  cotton  dress,  with  a  partly  finished  garment  in  her 
hands,  which  frost  and  sun  had  not  wholly  turned  rough 
and  red. 

"  Your  coffee  will  be  getting  cold.  Shall  I  put  it  on  the 
stove  ?  "  she  said. 

Townshead  made  a  little  grimace.     "  One  may  as  well 

13 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

describe  things  correctly,  and  that  is  chickory,"  he  said. 

Still,  you  may  warm  it  if  it  pleases  you,  but  I  might 
point  out  that,  indifferent  as  it  is,  preserved  milk  which 
has  gone  musty  does  not  improve  its  flavour." 

The  girl  laughed  a  little,  though  there  was  something 
more  pathetic  than  heartsome  in  her  merriment.  "  I  am 
afraid  we  shall  have  none  to-morrow  unless  Mr.  Seaforth 
gets  through,"  she  said.  "I  suppose  you  have  not  a  few 
dollars  you  could  give  me,  father?  " 

"  No,"  said  Townshead,  with  somewhat  unusual  decisive- 
ness ;  "  I  have  not.  You  are  always  asking  for  dollars. 
What  do  you  want  them  for?" 

"  Mr.  Seaforth  has  packed  our  stores  in  for  a  long  while, 
and  we  have  paid  him  nothing,"  said  the  girl,  while  a  little 
colour  crept  into  her  face. 

Townshead  made  a  gesture  of  weariness.  "  The  young 
man  seems  willing  to  do  it  out  of  friendship  for  us,  and  I 
see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  allow  him,  unless  he 
presumes  upon  the  trifling  service,"  he  said.  "  To  do  him 
justice,  however,  he  and  his  comrade  have  always  shown 
commendable  taste." 

The  girl  smiled  a  little,  for  considering  their  relative 
positions  in  a  country  where  a  man  takes  his  station  ac- 
cording to  his  usefulness  the  word  "  presume  "  appeared  in- 
congruous. "  Still,  I  should  prefer  not  to  be  in  their  debt," 
she  said. 

"Then  we  will  free  ourselves  of  the  obligation  with 
the  next  remittance  Jack  sends  in,"  said  Townshead  im- 
patiently. 

The  girl's  face  grew  troubled.  "  I  am  afraid  that  will 
not  be  for  some  little  time,"  she  said.  "  Poor  Jack.  You 
surely  remember  he  is  lying  ill  ?  " 

"  It  is  especially  inconvenient  just  now,"  said  Townshead 
querulously.  "  It  has  also  been  a  sore  point  with  me  that 
a  son  of  mine  should  hire  himself  out  as  a  labourer.  I  am 
sorry  I  let  him  go,  the  more  so  because  the  work  upon  the 
ranch  is  getting  too  much  for  me." 

Nellie  Townshead  said  nothing,  though  she  sighed  as 
she  pictured  the  young  lad,  who  had  been  stricken  by 
rheumatic  fever  as  a  result  of  toiling  waist-deep  in  icy 

14 


AT   TOWNSHEAD'S  RANCH 

water,  lying  uncared  for  in  the  mining  camp  amidst  the 
snows  of  Caribou.  She  did  not,  however,  remind  her 
father  that  it  was  she  who  had  in  the  meanwhile  done 
most  of  the  indispensable  work  upon  the  ranch,  and  Towns- 
head  would  not  in  any  case  have  believed  her,  for  he  had 
a  fine  capacity  for  deceiving  himself. 

In  place  of  it  she  spread  out  some  masculine  garments 
about  the  stove  and  coloured  a  trifle  when  her  father 
glanced  at  her  inquiringly.  "  The  creek  must  be  running 
high  and  Mr.  Alton  and  his  partner  will  be  very  wet,"  she 
said.  "  I  am  warming  a  few  of  Jack's  old  things  for  them. 
They  cannot  go  back  to  Somasco  to-night,  you  know." 

"  I  confess  that  it  did  not  occur  to  me,"  said  Townshead 
languidly.  "  No,  I  suppose  one  could  scarcely  expect  them 
to,  and  we  shall  have  to  endure  their  company." 

A  faint  sparkle  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  laughter 
crept  into  the  girl's  eyes,  for  there  were  times  when  her 
father  tried  her  patience.  "  I  wonder  if  it  occurred  to  you 
that  we  shall  probably  starve  to-morrow  unless  Mr.  Alton, 
who  is  apparently  not  to  be  paid  for  it,  makes  what  must 
be  a  very  arduous  march  to-night  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I'm  afraid  it  did  not,"  said  Townshead,  with  a  fine  un- 
concern. "  I  think  you  understand,  my  dear,  that  I  leave 
the  commissariat  to  you,  and  you  have  a  way  of  putting 
things  which  jars  upon  one  occasionally." 

A  little  trace  of  colour  crept  into  the  girl's  cheek,  but  it 
faded  again  as  she  sat  down  beside  the  stove.  Still,  now 
and  then  she  pricked  her  fingers  with  the  needle,  which  she 
had  not  done  before,  and  finally  laid  down  the  fabric  and 
laughed  softly.  "  There  is,"  she  said,  "  something  dis- 
tinctly humorous  in  the  whole  position." 

"  You,"  said  her  father,  "  had  always  a  somewhat  pecu- 
liar sense  of  humour." 

"  Well,"  said  his  daughter  with  a  slight  quiver  of  her 
lips.  "  I  feel  that  I  must  either  cry  or  laugh  to-night.  Do 
you  know  there  is  scarcely  enough  for  breakfast  in  the 
house,  and  that  I  am  dreadfully  hungry  now?  " 

Townshead  glanced  at  her  reproachfully.  "  Either  one 
or  the  other  would  be  equally  distasteful  to  me,"  he  said. 

The  girl  sighed,  and  turned  away  to  thrust  a  few  small 

15 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

billets  into  the  stove.  She  chose  them  carefully,  for  the 
big  box  whose  ugliness  she  had  hidden  by  a  strip  of  cheap 
printed  cotton  was  almost  empty.  The  hired  man,  seeing 
no  prospect  of  receiving  his  wages,  had  departed  after  a 
stormy  interview,  and  shortly  after  his  son  followed  him. 
Townshead  discovered  that  sawing  wood  was  especially 
unsuited  to  his  constitution.  Then  the  girl  increased  the 
draught  a  little  and  endeavoured  to  repress  a  shiver.  The 
house  was  damp  for  want  of  proper  packing,  and  the  cold 
wind  that  came  down  from  the  high  peaks  moaned  about  it 
eerily.  It  was  also  very  lonely,  and  the  girl,  who  was  young, 
felt  a  great  longing  for  human  fellowship. 
^  Her  father  presently  took  up  a  book,  and  there  was 
silence  only  broken  by  the  rattle  of  loose  shingles  overhead 
and  the  soft  thud  against  the  windows  of  driving  snow, 
while  the  girl  sat  dreaming  over  her  sewing  of  the  brighter 
days  in  far-off  England  which  had  slipped  away  from  her 
for  ever.  Five  years  was  not  a  very  long  time,  but  during 
it  her  English  friends  had  forgotten  her,  and  one  who  had 
scarcely  left  her  side  that  memorable  night  had,  though  she 
read  of  the  doings  of  his  regiment  now  and  then,  sent  her 
no  word  or  token.  A  little  flush  crept  into  her  cheek  as, 
remembering  certain  words  of  his,  she  glanced  at  her 
reddened  wrists  and  little  toil-hardened  hands.  She  who 
had  been  a  high-spirited  girl  with  the  world  at  her  feet 
then,  was  now  one  of  the  obscure  toilers  whose  work  was 
never  done.  Still,  because  it  was  only  on  rare  occasions 
that  work  left  her  leisure  to  think  about  herself,  it  had  not 
occurred  to  her  that  she  had  lost  but  little  by  the  change. 
The  hands  that  had  once  been  soft  and  white  were  now 
firm  and  brown,  the  stillness  of  the  great  firs  and  cedars 
had  given  her  a  calm  tranquillity  in  place  of  restless  haste, 
and  frost  and  sun  the  clear,  warm-tinted  complexion,  while 
a  look  of  strength  and  patience  had  replaced  the  laughter 
in  her  hazel  eyes. 

Suddenly,  however,  there  was  a  trampling  in  the  snow 
and  a  sound  of  voices,  followed  after  an  interval  by  a 
knocking  at  the  door.  It  swung  open,  and  two  whitened 
objects  loaded  with  bags  and  packages  strode  into  the 
room.  The  blast  that  came  in  with  them  set  the  lamp 

16 


AT   TOWNSHEAD'S   RANCH 

flickering,  and  sent  a  chill  through  the  girl,  but  she  rose 
with  a  smile  when  rancher  Alton  stood,  a  shapeless  figure, 
with  the  moisture  on  his  bronzed  face,  beside  the  stove. 

"  Take  those  things  through  into  the  kitchen,  Charley," 
he  said.  "  I  think  we've  got  them  all,  Miss  Townshead. 
I  hope,  sir,  you  are  feeling  pretty  well." 

Townshead  made  some  answer  with  a  slight  bend  of  his 
head,  but  Alton  appeared  a  trifle  dubious  when  the  girl 
offered  him  hospitality. 

"  I'm  afraid  the  beasts  are  used  up,  or  I  wouldn't  think 
of  it,"  he  said. 

Nellie  Townshead's  eyes  twinkled  as  she  glanced  at  him. 
"  Could  you  not  have  put  it  in  another  way?  "  she  said. 

Alton  laughed,  and  brushed  his  fingers  across  the  top  of 
the  stove.  "  Well,  it  doesn't  sound  quite  right,  but  after 
all  the  meaning's  the  great  thing,"  he  said.  "  This  place 
isn't  warm  enough  for  you,  Miss  Nellie." 

He  turned  and  walked  to  the  wood-box,  and  after 
glancing  into  it  carefully  straightened  out  its  covering. 
Then  he  strode  towards  the  door,  and  stopped  a  moment 
before  he  opened  it.  "  Excuse !  "  he  said  simply.  ' "  No, 
don't  you  worry;  I  know  just  where  the  saw  and  lantern 
are,  and  Charley,  who  comes  from  the  old  country,  can 
talk  to  you  for  me." 

He  w.ent  out  in  another  moment,  but  the  fact  that  he 
was  very  weary  did  not  escape  the  attention  of  the  girl, 
who  also  noticed  the  absence  of  any  unnecessary  questions 
or  explanations.  Alton  was,  she  knew  already,  one  who 
did  things  the  better  because  he  did  them  silently.  Still, 
it  was  Seaforth  whom,  when  nobody  observed  her,  her 
eyes  rested  most  upon. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  the  former  returned  with  a 
load  of  scented  firewood  upon  his  back,  and,  saying  noth- 
ing, filled  the  box  with  it,  packing  each  piece  where  it 
best  fitted  deliberately  but  swiftly ;  then  he  passed  through 
the  room  into  an  adjoining  one,  and  returned  attired  pic- 
turesquely in  Jack  Townshead's  overalls,  which  were  dis- 
tinctly too  small  for  him.  By  this  time  supper  was  ready, 
and  Seaforth,  also  dressed  in  borrowed  garments,  seated 
at  the  table,  but  though  Miss  Townshead  had  not  lost  the 

17 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

stamp  of  refinement  she  brought  with  her  from  England, 
and  her  father  was  dignified  and  precise,  Alton  showed  no 
embarrassment.  He  also  listened  patiently  to  Townshead's 
views  on  ranching  and  the  mining  prospects  of  that  region, 
though  he  was  already  looked  up  to  as  a  master  of  the  for- 
mer industry,  and  contrived  meanwhile  that  the  girl  made 
a  good  meal  instead  of  attending  to  him.  When  it  was 
finished  he  unfolded  a  carefully  wrapped  up  packet,  and 
took  an  envelope  out  of  it,  though  Miss  Townshead  noticed 
that  several  others  he  laid  down  were  crumpled  and  wet. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  you,"  he  said. 

He  glanced  at  the  girl  questioningly  as  she  took  it  up, 
and  fingered  one  of  the  envelopes  upon  the  table.  "  Ex- 
cuse?" he  said. 

Nellie  Townshead  smiled  and  nodded,  and  then,  knowing 
that  the  communication  handed  her  was  of  no  importance, 
watched  him  covertly  as  he  tore  open  a  long  blue  envelope. 
There  were  documents  inside  it,  and  the  man's  fingers 
shook  a  little  as  he  spread  out  one  of  them.  Then  bewil- 
dered astonishment  crept  into  his  eyes,  and  was  replaced 
by  a  flash  of  something  very  like  anger,  after  which  his 
face  grew  suddenly  impassive,  and  he  thrust  the  documents 
all  together  into  his  pocket. 

"  Get  up,  Charley,  and  bring  the  tray  along,"  he  said. 

Miss  Townshead  glanced  at  him  sharply.  "  What  do 
you  wish  to  do  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Wash  up,"  said  Alton  simply.  "  I  don't  know  how  you 
fix  these  things  in  England,  but  this  is  a  good  Canadian 
custom.  Stir  around,  Charley." 

"  But,"  said  the  girl,  "  you  don't  know  where  the  things 
are." 

"Well,"  said  Alton,  smiling,  "I  figure  I  can  find 
them." 

He  laid  the  cups  and  dishes  on  the  tray,  gave  it  to  Sea- 
forth,  and  disappeared  down  a  passage  carrying  the  kettle, 
but  -not  before  Miss  Townshead  had  noticed'  that  while  his 
comrade,  who  had  apparently  been  used  to  the  smoother 
side  of  life  in  England,  displayed  some  awkwardness,  every- 
thing the  big  rancher  did  seemed  appropriate,  and,  be- 
cause removing  plates  is  not  a  man's  task,  she  wondered 

18 


AT    TOWNSHEAD'S    RANCH 

at  it.  They  came  back  presently,  and  by  that  time  the  girl, 
who  had  opened  some  of  the  packages,  held  a  roll  of  fabric 
upon  her  knee. 

"  If  you  can  find  a  splash  anywhere  I'll  forfeit  a  dollar. 
Charley's  good  at  mopping  up,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  I'm 
afraid  that  stuff's  a  little  wet,  but  it  was  the  Cayuse's  fault. 
He  started  in  kicking  and  burst  the  rope,  you  see." 

"  It  would  have  been  wetter  if  it  had  gone  into  the  lake," 
said  Seaforth. 

"The  lake?"  said  the  girl. 

Seaforth  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  It  was  on  the  Tyee 
trail  the  pony  commenced  kicking." 

The  girl  looked  up  sharply,  and  there  was  a  subdued 
brightness  in  her  eyes,  for  she  had  more  than  once  shivered 
when  leading  her  horse  along  that  perilous  trail.  Alton 
felt  for  his  comrade's  leg  under  the  table  and  kicked  it 
grievously. 

"  There  wasn't  any  trouble,  and  the  snow  was  soft," 
said  he.  "  You're  going  to  make  a  dress  of  that  stuff, 
Miss  Nellie?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl.  "  I  could,  however,  wish  the  stuff 
was  better." 

Alton  smiled  gravely.  "  Of  course !  "  he  said.  "  Still, 
it  don't  count  for  much.  You  would  look  like  a  picture  in 
anything." 

Nellie  Townshead  glanced  at  him  sharply,  and  for  a 
moment  there  was  a  faint  sparkle  in  her  eyes,  for  she  had 
a  trace  of  temper. 

"  Whatever  made  you  say  that?  "  said  she. 

Alton  laughed.  "  I  really  don't  quite  know.  I  just  felt  I 
had  to,"  he  said  with  a  na'ive  simplicity.  "  I  wouldn't  have 
done  it  if  I  had  thought  it  would  vex  you." 

After  this  he  listened  while  his  comrade  talked — and 
Seaforth  on  occasion  could  talk  gracefully — until  at  last  he 
said,  "  England's  not  so  very  big,  Miss  Nellie.  I  wonder 
if  you  know  a  place  called  Carnaby." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl.  "  I  once  went  to  see  rather  a  fine 
old  hall  there." 

"  Carnaby  Grange?  "  said  Alton  quietly. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl  with  a  trace  of  curiosity.     "  We 

19 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

spent  some  little  time  in  the  grounds.  They  lie  deep  in 
the  woods,  and  there  is  a  famous  rose  garden." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  All  kinds  of  roses.  And  the  old 
place  ?  Tell  me  about  it !  " 

"  Is  very  picturesque,"  said  the  girl.  "  It  looked  quiet 
and  grey,  and  almost  stately  under  its  ivy  that  autumn 
day,  but  I  could  scarcely  describe  it  you.  You  have  noth- 
ing like  it  in  Canada." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  I  have  seen  nothing  like 
it  in  Canada.  But  wasn't  there  a  lake  ?  " 

The  girl  glanced  at  him  curiously.  "There  was,"  she 
said.  "  I  remember  it  lay  shining  before  us  between  the 
woods.  It  was  very  beautiful,  quieter  and  calmer  than  our 
lakes  in  Canada." 

A  slight  flush  crept  through  the  bronze  in  Alton's  face, 
which  grew  a  trifle  grim,  and  a  light  into  his  eyes.  "  There 
is  a  lake  at  Somasco  where  you  can  see  the  white  peaks 
lie  shining,  and  the  big  Wapiti  come  down  to  drink,"  he 
said.  "  There  are  cedars  and  redwoods  about  it  which 
except  for  a  few  in  California,  haven't  their  equal  in  the 
world,  but  there's  nothing  about  that  lake  or  valley  that's 
quiet  or  calm.  It's  wild  and  great  and  grand.  No.  They've 
nothing  of  that  kind  in  the  old  country.  Are  not  Abana 
and  Pharfar  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ?  " 

"  Apposite !  "  said  Townshead.  "  You  apparently  read 
the  Scriptures  ?  " 

"  Sometimes,"  said  Alton  simply.  "  They  get  hold  of 
me.  Those  old  fellows  went  right  down  to  the  bed  rock 
of  human  nature  back  there  in  Palestine,  and  it  strikes  me 
there's  no  great  difference  in  that  between  now  and  then." 

"  When,"  said  Townshead  smiling,  "  I  was  a  King  in 
Babylon." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  reflectively.  "  You're  a  little  late  on 
time.  The  Christian  slave  don't  quite  fit  in." 

Townshead  glanced  at  him  sharply,  and  said  nothing, 
for  the  rancher  had  once  or  twice  already  somewhat  aston- 
ished him. 

"Well,"  said  Alton,  "tell  me,  Miss  Nellie,  were  the 
lilies  where  the  ashes  hung  over  the  lake?  I  want  to  know 
all  about  Carnaby/' 

20 


AT   TOWNSHEAD'S   RANCH 

The  girl  seemed  somewhat  thoughtful,  and  a  trifle 
astonished,  but  she  made  the  best  use  of  her  memory,  and 
Alton  listened  gravely.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  I  seem  to  see 
it.  The  rose  garden  on  the  south  side,  the  big  lawn,  and 
the  lake.  There's  a  little  stream  on  the  opposite  side  of  it 
that  comes  down  through  the  fern  from  the  big  beech 
wood." 

"  But,"  said  the  girl,  "  how  could  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  must  have  dreamt  it,"  said  Alton  gravely. 
"  Or  perhaps  my  father  told  me.  He  used  to  talk  of  Car- 
naby,  and  I  feel  I  know  it  well." 

The  girl  stared  at  him  in  her  wonder.  "  But  what  is 
Carnaby  to  you  ?  "  she  said. 

Alton  rose  up,  and  stood  still  a  moment,  somewhat  grim 
in  face.  "  It  should  have  been  my  father's,  and  now  when 
I  don't  know  that  I  want  it,  I  think  it's  mine,"  he  said. 
"  Anyway,  I'm  kind  of  tired,  and  I  think  I'll  turn  in.  Ex- 
cuse me." 

He  went  out,  and  Nellie  Townshead  glanced  at  his  com- 
rade. "Do  you  know  what  he  means  ?  "  she  said. 

Seaforth  smiled  and  shook  his  head.  "  I've  never  seen 
Harry  taken  that  way  before,"  he  said.  "  Still,  we'll  hope 
he'll  be  better  to-morrow.  He  has  been  through  a  good 
deal  to-day." 

Miss  Townshead  did  not  appear  contented,  but  she 
changed  the  topic.  "  Then  what  did  you  mean  when  you 
spoke  about  the  dress  packet  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Seaforth.  "  if  you  don't  tell  Harry. 
Well,  when  the  packet  slipped  down  to  the  edge  of  the  big 
drop  I'm  not  sure  that  the  price  of  two  ranches  would  have 
induced  most  men  to  follow  it." 

"  But  why  did  Mr.  Alton  go  ?  "  said  the  girl,  with  an 
expression  which  was  not  quite  the  one  the  man  had  ex- 
pected to  see  in  her  face. 

Seaforth  smiled.  "  He  may  have  fancied  you  wanted  it. 
Anyway,  Harry  is  a  little  obstinate  occasionally,  and  when 
a  thing  looks  difficult  he  can't  resist  attempting  it.  In  the 
language  of  my  adopted  country  that's  the  kind  of  man  he 
is.  Now  I  think  I  had  better  go  after  him,  because  I  fancy 
he  wants  soothing  after  that  last  speech  of  his." 

21 


CHAPTER   III 

HARRY  THE  TEAMSTER 

THE  sun  was  on  the  hill  slopes,  and  there  was  a  dazzling 
glare  of  snow,  when  Miss  Alice  Deringham  stood  with  her 
travelling  dress  fluttering  about  her  on  the  platform  of  the 
observation  car  as  the  Pacific  express  went  thundering 
down  a  valley  of  British  Columbia.  The  dress,  which  was 
somewhat  dusty,  had  cost  her  father  a  good  deal  of  money, 
and  the  hat  that  was  sprinkled  with  cinders  had  come 
from  Paris;  while  the  artistic  simplicity  of  both  had  ex- 
cited the  envy  of  the  two  Winnipeg  ladies  who,  having 
failed  to  make  friends  with  Miss  Deringham  during  the 
journey,  now  sat  watching  her  disapprovingly  in  a  corner 
of  the  car.  The  girl  was  of  a  type  as  yet  not  common  in 
Western  Canada,  reserved,  quietly  imperious,  and  annoy- 
ingly  free  from  any  manifestation  of  enthusiasm.  She  had 
also  listened  languidly  to  their  most  racy  stories  with  a 
somewhat  tired  look  in  her  eyes. 

They  were,  however,  fine  eyes  of  a  violet  blue,  and  gold 
hair  with  a  warmer  tinge  in  it  clustered  about  the  broad 
white  forehead,  while  the  rest  of  the  girl's  face  was  refined 
in  its  modelling,  if  a  trifle  cold  in  expression  and  colouring. 
Miss  Deringham  was  also  tall,  and  as  she  stood  with  one 
little  hand^  on  the  rail  and  the  other  on  the  brim  of  the 
hat  the  wind  would  have  torn  away  from  her,  her  pose 
displayed  a  daintily-proportioned  figure.  The  girl  was, 
however,  as  oblivious  of  her  companions  as  she  was  of  the 
dust,  and  her  eyes  were  at  last  keen  with  wonder.  She 
had  seen  nothing  which  resembled  the  panorama  that  un- 
rolled itself  before  her  as  the  great  mountain  locomotives 
sped  on  through  the  primeval  wilderness,  and  the  wild 
beauty  of  it  left  a  deeper  mark  on  her  because  her  Canadian 
journey  had  been  more  or  less  a  disappointment 


HARRY  THE   TEAMSTER 

Alice  Deringham  had  tasted  of  the  best  that  England  had 
to  offer  in  the  shape  of  sport  and  scenery,  art  and  music, 
and  had  grown  a  little  tired  of  it  all;  while,  when  her 
father  had  announced  his  intention  of  crossing  the  Cana- 
dian Dominion,  partly  on  an  affair  of  business  and  partly 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  she  had  gladly  accompanied 
him  in  the  hope  of  seeing  something  new.  Deringham  was 
a  promoter  and  director  of  English  companies,  but  his 
daughter  having  the  fine  disdain  for  anything  connected 
with  finance  which  occasionally  characterizes  those  who 
have  never  felt  the  lack  of  money,  asked  him  few  questions 
concerning  one  object  of  his  journey.  She  only  knew  that 
the  Carnaby  estate,  which  would  in  the  usual  course  have 
reverted  to  her,  had  been  unexpectedly  willed  to  the  son 
of  a  man  its  late  owner  had  disinherited,  on  conditions. 
The  man,  it  appeared,  was  dead,  and  Deringham  desired 
to  see  whether  any  understanding  or  compromise  could  be 
arrived  at  with  the  one  son  he  had  left  behind  in  Western 
Canada. 

To  become  the  mistress  of  Carnaby  Hall  would  have 
pleased  Alice  Deringham,  but,  as  she  had  already  realized 
there  was  no  great  hope  of  that,  she  had  prepared  to  enjoy 
her  Canadian  journey.  It  had,  however,  fallen  short  of 
her  expectations.  Ontario  reminded  her  of  southern  Scot- 
land, and  there  was  nothing  to  impress  one  who.  had  seen 
the  Highlands  when  the  cars  ran  into  the  confusion  of  rock 
and  forest,  lake  and  river,  along  the  Superior  shore.  Win- 
nipeg in  no  way  appealed  to  her,  and  she  grew  weary  as 
they  swept  out  past  straggling  wooden  towns  into  the 
grass  lands  of  the  West. 

The  towns  rose  stark  from  the  prairie  in  unsoftened 
ugliness,  and  there  was  nothing  to  stir  the  imagination  in 
the  great  waste  of  sun-bleached  grass.  Day  by  day,  while 
the  dust  whirled  by  them,  and  the  gaunt  telegraph  posts 
came  up  out  of  the  far  horizon  and  sank  into  the  east, 
they  raced  across  the  wide  levels.  The  red  dawns  burned 
behind  them,  the  sunsets  flamed  ahead,  and  still  there  was 
only  dust  and  grass,  chequered  here  and  there  with  bands 
of  stubble,  while  driving  grit  and  ugliness  were  the  salient 
features  of  the  little  stations  they  stopped  at. 

23 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

Miss  Deringham  had  read  enough  to  learn  that  pistol 
and  bandolier  had  long  gone  out  of  fashion  in  Western 
Canada,  where,  indeed,  they  had  rarely  formed  a  necessary 
portion  of  the  plainsman's  attire,  but  she  had  expected  a 
little  vivid  colour  and  dash  of  romance.  The  stock-riders 
she  saw  at  the  station  were,  however,  for  the  most  part 
dress  in  faded  jean,  and  many  of  them  appeared  to  speak 
excellent  English,  while  the  wheat-growers  rode  soberly 
in  dusty  and  dilapidated  wagons.  Still  the  romance  was 
there,  though  in  place  of  the  swashbuckling  cavalier  she 
found  only  quiet,  slowly-spoken  men,  with  patience  most 
plainly  stamped  upon  their  sun-darkened  faces.  Their 
hands  were  hard  with  the  grip  of  the  bridle  and  plough- 
stilt  in  place  of  the  rifle,  and  the  struggle  they  waged  was 
a  slow  and  grim  one  against  frost  and  drought  and  adverse 
seasons. 

There  was,  however,  a  transformation  when  she  awoke 
one  morning  and  found  the  Rockies  had  been  left  behind, 
and  they  were  roaring  down  through  the  passes  of  British 
Columbia.  This  was  a  new,  and  apparently  unfinished, 
world,  a  land  of  tremendous  mountains,  leagues  of  forests, 
such  as  her  imagination  had  never  pictured,  and  untrodden 
heights  of  never-melting  snow.  Glacier,  blue  lake,  river 
droning  through  shadowy  canons,  rushed  by,  and  the 
glamour  of  it  crept  into  the  heart  of  the  girl,  until  as  they 
swept  down  into  the  valley  with  a  river  two  thousand  feet 
below,  she  felt  she  was  at  last  in  touch  with  something 
strange  and  new. 

Presently  the  hoot  of  the  whistle  came  ringing  up  the 
pass,  wheels  screamed  discordantly,  and  the  pines  below 
flitted  towards  them  a  trifle  more  slowly.  Then,  as  they 
swung  rocking  round  the  face  of  a  crag  and  a  cluster  of 
wooden  buildings  rose  to  view,  Deringham  came  out  upon 
the  platform.  He  was  a  tall,  slightly-built  man,  with  a 
pallid  face  and  keen  but  slightly  shifty  eyes,  and  bore  the 
unmistakable  stamp  of  the  Englishman. 

"  That  must  be  our  alighting-place,  and  I  am  not  sure 
how  we  are  to  get  on,"  he  said.  "  It  is,  I  understand,  a 
long  way  to  Somasco,  and  when  we  get  there  I  really  do 
not  know  whether  we  shall  find  any  accommodation  suit- 

24 


HARRY   THE    TEAMSTER 

able  for  you.  It  might  have  been  better  if  you  had  gone' 
on  to  our  friends,  the  Fords,  at  Vancouver." 

Alice  Deringham  laughed  a  little.  "  I  don't  think  you 
need  worry.  Mr.  Alton  will,  no  doubt,  take  us  in,"  she 
said.  "  A  little  primitive  barbarity  would  not  be  unpleasant 
as  a  novelty." 

A  trace  of  something  very  like  anger  crept  into  Dering- 
ham's  eyes.  It  was  not  very  perceptible,  for  he  seldom 
showed  much  of  what  he  felt,  but  his  daughter  noticed 
it.  "  It  is  somewhat  unfortunate  that  we  shall  probably 
have  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  young  man's  hospitality," 
he  said.  "  You  understand,  my  dear,  that  he  is  a  kinsman 
of  your  own,  and,  unless  he  can  be  persuaded  to  relinquish 
his  claim,  the  owner  of  Carnaby.  Still,  I  have  hopes  of 
coming  to  terms  with  him.  The  charges  upon  the  land  are 
very  burdensome." 

Alice  Deringham's  face  grew  a  trifle  scornful.  "  You 
will  do  your  best,"  she  said.  "  The  thought  of  one  of  these 
half-civilized  axemen  living  at  Carnaby  is  almost  distressful 
to  me.  In  fact,  I  feel  a  curious  dislike  to  the  man  even 
before  I  have  seen  him." 

There  was  another  hoot  of  the  whistle,  a  little  station 
grew  larger  down  the  track,  and  here  and  there  a  wooden 
house  peeped  out  amidst  the  slowly-flitting  trees.  Then 
the  cars  stopped  with  a  jerk,  and  Miss  Deringham  stepped 
down  from  the  platform.  Her  first  glance  showed  her 
long  ranks  of  climbing  pines,  with  a  great  white  peak 
silhouetted  hard  and  sharp  above  them  against  the  blue. 
Then  she  became  conscious  of  the  silver  mist  streaming 
ethereally  athwart  the  sombre  verdure  from  the  river  hol- 
low, and  that  a  new  and  pungent  smell  cut  through  the 
odours  of  dust  and  creosote  which  reeked  along  the  track. 
It  came  from  a  cord  of  cedar-wood  piled  up  close  by,  and 
she  found  it  curiously  refreshing.  The  drowsy  roar  of  the 
river  mingled  with  the  panting  of  the  locomotive  pump, 
but  there  was  a  singular  absence  of  life  and  movement  in 
the  station  until  the  door  of  the  baggage-car  slid  open, 
and  her  father  sprang  aside  as  her  trunks  were  shot  out 
on  to  the  platform.  A  bag  or  two  of  something  followed 
them,  the  great  engines  panted,  and  the  dusty  cars  went 

25 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

on  again,  while  it  dawned  upon  Alice  Deringham  that  her 
last  hold  upon  civilization  had  gone,  and  she  was  left  to 
her  own  resources  in  a  new  and  somewhat  barbarous  land. 

There  were  no  obsequious  porters  to  collect  her  baggage, 
which  lay  where  it  had  alighted  with  one  trunk  gaping 
open,  while  a  couple  of  men  in  blue  shirts  and  soil-stained 
jeans  leaned  upon  the  neighbouring  fence  watching  her  with 
mild  curiosity.  Her  father  addressed  another  one  some- 
what differently  attired  who  stood  in  the  door  of  the 
office. 

"There  is  a  hotel  here,  but  they  couldn't  take  you  in," 
said  the  man.  "  Party  of  timber-right  prospectors  came 
along,  and  they're  kind  of  frolicsome.  They  might  find 
you  a  berth  on  the  verandah,  but  I  don't  know  that  it 
would  suit  the  lady.  It  mixes  things  up  considerable  when 
you  bring  a  woman." 

Deringham  glanced  at  his  daughter,  and  the  girl  laughed. 
"  Then  is  there  any  means  of  getting  on  to  Cedar  Valley  ?  " 
she  said. 

The  man  slowly  shook  his  head.  "You  might  walk, 
but  it's  close  on  forty  miles,"  he  said.  "  Stage  goes  out 
on  Saturday." 

Deringham  made  a  gesture  of  resignation.  "  I  never 
walked  forty  miles  at  once  in  my  life,"  he  said.  "  Can  you 
suggest  anything  at  all?  We  cannot  well  live  here  on  the 
platform  until  Saturday." 

"  No,"  said  the  man  gravely.  "  I  don't  figure  I  could  let 
you.  Well,  now  I  wonder  if  Harry  could  find  room  for 
you." 

He  shouted,  and  a  man  who  was  carrying  a  flour-bag 
turned  his  head  and  then  went  on  again  until  he  hove  his 
load  into  a  two-horse  wagon,  while  Miss  Deringham  no- 
ticed that  although  the  bag  was  stamped  140  Ibs.  the 
man  trotted  lightly  across  the  metals  and  ballast  with  it 
upon  his  shoulders.  Then  he  came  in  their  direction,  and 
she  glanced  at  him  with  some  curiosity  as  he  stood  a  trifle 
breathless  before  them.  He  wore  a  blue  shirt  burst  open 
at  the  neck  which  showed  his  full  red  throat,  and  some- 
what ragged  overalls.  The  brown  hair  beneath  his  broad 
felt  hat  was  whitened  with  flour,  and  his  bronzed  face  was 

26 


HARRY   THE   TEAMSTER 

red  with  the  dust.  Still  he  stood  very  straight,  and  it  was 
a  good  face,  with  broad  forehead  and  long,  straight  nose, 
while  the  effect  of  the  solid  jaw  was  mitigated  by  some-' 
thing  in  the  shape  of  the  mobile  lips.  The  grey  eyes  were 
keen  and  steady  until  a  sympathetic  twinkle  crept  into 
them,  and  Miss  Deringham  felt  that  the  man  understood 
her  position. 

"  Well,"  he  said.    "  What's  the  difficulty?  " 

The  station  agent  explained  laconically,  and  the  stranger 
gravely  took  off  his  battered  hat.  "  My  wagon's  pretty 
full,  but  I  can  take  you  through,"  he  said. 

"  It  would  be  a  favour,"  said  Deringham,  taking  out  a 
roll  of  bills.  "  I  should,  of  course,  be  glad  to  recompense 
you  for  your  trouble." 

For  a  moment  the  man's  eyes  closed  a  trifle,  then  he 
laughed,  and  Miss  Deringham  noticed  that  there  was  noth- 
ing dissonant  in  his  merriment.  "  Well,"  he  said  lightly, 
"  there  will  be  plenty  time  to  talk  of  that.  These  are  your 
things,  miss  ?  " 

The  girl  nodded,  and  wondered  when,  heaving  up  the 
biggest  trunk  as  though  it  weighed  nothing  at  all,  he  laid 
it  carefully  in  the  wagon,  because  she  remembered  having 
to  fee  two  hotel  porters  lavishly  for  handling  it  in  Liver- 
pool. He  stopped,  however,  and  glanced  at  the  second 
one  with  a  faint  trace  of  embarrassment.  It  had  burst  open, 
and  several  folds  of  filmy  fabric  projected. 

"  My  hands  are  floury.  You  might  be  able  to  shut  it 
up,"  he  said. 

Miss  Deringham  stooped  over  the  box  that  he  might 
not  see  her  face.  It  was  merely  the  skirt  of  an  evening 
dress  which  had  displayed  itself,  but  she  had  guessed  what 
the  man  was  thinking,  and  remembering  his  excuse  was 
not  displeased  with  him.  When  the  box  was  in  the  wagon 
she  took  out  a  dollar,  and  then  for  no  special  reason  put  it 
back  again.  The  man  was  a  bush  teamster,  but  she  did  not 
feel  equal  to  offering  him  a  piece  of  silver.  She  swung 
herself  up  into  the  wagon  with  her  foot  in  his  hand,  and 
wondered  whether  it  could  be  by  intent  that  he  stood  bare- 
headed while  she  did  it.  Then  her  father  climbed  in,  and 
the  man  at  the  station  laughed  as  he  said,  "  What's  the 

27 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

odds,  Harry,  you  don't  spill  the  whole  freight  on  the  dip 
to  the  ford?" 

The  teamster,  who  made  no  answer,  shook  the  reins,  and 
they  went  lurching  over  a  horrible  trail  down  the  valley, 
while  Miss  Deringham  delightedly  breathed  in  the  scent 
of  the  cedars  and  felt  the  lash  of  snow-chilled  wind  bring 
the  blood  to  her  face.  She,  however,  wished  that  the 
bundle  of  straw  which  served  as  seat  would  not  move  about 
so  much,  and  fancied  her  father  would  have  been  more 
comfortable  had  he  not  been  menaced  by  a  jolting  piece 
of  machinery.  Their  progress  was  rudely  interrupted  pres- 
ently, for  the  teamster  standing  upright  reined  the  horses 
in  on  their  haunches,  and  the  girl  saw  a  line  of  loaded 
ponies  straggling  up  the  winding  trail.  One  of  the  men 
who  plodded  behind  them  glanced  at  the  driver  of  the 
wagon  with  an  ironical  grin,  and  Miss  Deringham  saw  a 
warmer  colour  creep  into  the  sun-darkened  cheek.  This 
was,  she  fancied,  a  man  with  a  temper. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  and  then  stopped  suddenly. 

The  other  man's  grin  became  more  pronounced.  "  You 
can  start  in,"  he  said.  "  We're  not  bashful." 

The  teamster  said  nothing,  but  a  faint  twinkle  replaced 
the  anger  in  his  eye,  when  as  they  started  again  Miss 
Deringham  glanced  at  him  questioningly.  "  That,"  he  said, 
"  wasn't  quite  fair  to  me.  They  knew  I  couldn't  talk  back, 
you  see." 

Miss  Deringham  laughed,  and  when  an  hour  or  two 
later  he  pulled  the  horses  up  beside  a  lake  and  made  one 
or  two  alterations  to  enhance  her  comfort,  glanced  at  him 
again. 

"  Did  you  come  out  here  from  England  ?  "  said  she. 

The  man's  face  grew  a  trifle  grim.  "  No,"  he  said 
gravely.  "  Whatever  could  have  made  you  think  that 
of  me?" 

There  were  reasons  why  the  girl  could  not  explain,  and 
the  man  stretched  out  an  arm  with  a  little  proud  gesture 
that  became  him  curiously.  "  I  am  a  Canadian  first  and 
last,"  said  he.  "  Isn't  this  country  good  enough  for  any- 
body?" 

Miss  Deringham  was  forced  to  admit  that  it  apparently 

28 


HARRY   THE   TEAMSTER 

was.  A  blue  lake  gleaming  steely  blue  in  the  sunlight 
stretched  away  before  them  between  the  towering  firs, 
and  beyond  it  lay  an  entrancing  vision  of  great  white 
peaks. 

"  You  do  not  like  England,  then  ?  "  said  she. 

The  teamster  smiled  a  little.  "  That,"  he  said,  "  is  not 
a  fair  question  to  ask  me.  You  and  your  father  live  there, 
don't  you  ?  " 

Miss  Deringham  felt  that  she  had  trespassed,  but  was 
astonished  that  this  teamster  should  have  wit  enough  to 
silence  her  with  a  compliment.  She  also  decided  that  he 
should  not  have  the  opportunity  again. 

They  went  on,  winding  along  steep  hillsides,  splashing 
through  sparkling  rivers,  and  lurching  through  the  dim 
shadow  of  the  bush,  until  when  the  saffron  sunset  flamed 
along  the  peaks  they  came  to  the  head  of  a  long  declivity. 
On  the  one  hand  the  snow  towered  in  awful  white  purity, 
on  the  other  scattered  firs  sloped  sharply  down  into  a  hol- 
low until  they  were  lost  in  the  fleecy  vapours  that  streamed 
athwart  them.  "  Sit  tight,"  said  the  teamster.  "  It's  eight 
miles  to  Hobart's  ranch,  and  there's  no  time  to  lose  if 
we're  going  to  get  in  there  to-night." 

He  shook  the  reins,  and  the  girl  clutched  the  side  of  the 
wagon  as  she  felt  the  lash  of  the  wind  and  noticed  how 
the  firs  rushed  past.  It  was  jolting  horribly,  and  she  was 
relieved  when  as  the  trail  grew  steeper  she  saw  the  man 
tightening  his  grip  on  the  reins  and  heard  the  grating  of 
the  brake.  It  ceased  suddenly,  one  of  the  horses  stumbled, 
then  flung  up  its  head,  and  they  were  going  down  faster 
than  ever,  while  the  man  had  flung  his  shoulders  back 
and  was  dragging  at  the  reins.  It  dawned  upon  Miss 
Deringham  that  something  had  gone  wrong  and  the  team 
were  running  away. 

There  was  now  only  white  mist  beneath  them  and  the 
roar  of  water.  Trees  came  whirling  up  out  of  it,  rock  and 
bush  swept  past,  while  now  and  then  the.  wheels  hung 
almost  over  the  edge  of  the  declivity,  and  the  girl  could 
look  down  upon  the  sombre  firs  in  the  haze  below.  After 
one  glance,  however,  she  felt  that  it  would  not  be  well  for 
her  to  do  so.  Suddenly  one  of  the  horses  stumbled  again, 

29 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

and  the  teamster  flung  her  father  the  reins.     "  Get  Hold," 
he  said.     "  Line's  in  the  trace-hook." 

He  was  over  the  front  of  the  wagon  next  moment,  and 
the  girl  gasped  as  she  saw  him  crawl  out  with  an  arm  across 
the  back  of  one  of  the  galloping  horses  and  his  knees  on 
the  pole.  It  looked  horribly  dangerous,  and  probably  was, 
for  the  wagon  was  lurching  furiously  down  the  declivity. 
Then  he  leaned  out  and  downwards  over  the  horse,  clawing 
at  something  desperately,  and  Miss  Deringham  would  have 
shut  her  eyes  if  she  could  have  done  so.  In  place  of  it 
she  stared  fascinated  at  the  clinging  figure  while  the  trees 
flashed  past,  until  it  was  evident  that  the  man  v had  accom- 
plished his  task.  How  he  got  back  she  did  not  know,  but 
he  was  once  more  on  the  driving-seat  when  his  voice 
reached  her  breathlessly. 

"  Get  a  good  hold.  I'm  going  to  put  them  at  the  hill 
when  I  can,"  he  said. 

They  swept  on  until  the  hillside  sloped  more  gently  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  teamster  flung  himself  backwards, 
dragging  at  the  reins.  The  wagon,  tilting,  swung  partly 
round,  then  there  was  a  horrible  lurching,  and  the  lathered 
beasts  were  floundering  up  a  slope,  smashing  down  the 
undergrowth  and  fern,  until  the  vehicle  stopped  suddenly 
-,vith  a  crash.  The  man  sprang  down  and  Miss  Deringham 
and  her  father  lost  no  time  in  following  him,  while  when 
at  last  the  team  stood  still  trembling,  he  crawled  out  from 
under  the  wagon  and  turned  to  them. 

"  That  brake  never  was  much  good,"  he  said.  "  One  of 
the  beasts  stumbling  jerked  the  line  into  the  hook  there, 
and  the  fore-wheel  beam  gave  out  when  we  struck  the 
tree.  I'm  most  afraid  we'll  have  to  stop  right  here  to- 
night ! " 

"  But  that,  as  you  will  realize,  is  quite  impossible,"  said 
Deringham,  glancing  towards  his  daughter. 

The  man  nodded.  "  It  looks  that  way  now,  but  you  wait 
until  I've  fixed  things  up,"  said  he.  '"  Then  if  you  feel 
like  walking  eight  miles  I'll  go  on  with  you." 

The  girl  noticed  the  swift  orderliness  of  all  he  did  as  she 
watched  him  take  out  the  horses  and  tether  them,  tear 
down  armfuls  of  cedar-twigs,  and  then  pack  them  between 

30 


HARRY   THE   TEAMSTER 

some  flour-bags  and  the  side  of  the  wagon,  over  which  he 
stretched  a  strip  of  waterproof  sheeting.  Then  he  made  a 
fire,  disappeared  into  the  mist,  and  coming  back  with  the 
kettle,  strode  into  the  bush  again.  In  the  meanwhile  Der- 
ingham,  looking  into  the  wagon,  pointed  to  the  twigs. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  sleep  there  ?  "  he  said. 

The  girl  glanced  at  the  twigs.  They  looked  soft  and 
springy,  and  had  a  pleasant  aromatic  fragrance,  while  the 
covering  sheet  was  thick. 

"  I  know  I  could  not  walk  eight  miles,"  she  said. 
"  Where  has  our  accomplished  companion  gone  to  ? " 

Deringham  laughed.  "  To  look  for  something  for  supper 
in  the  bush,  I  believe,"  he  said.  "  I  also  fancy  if  there  is 
anything  eatable  in  che  vicinity  he  will  find  it." 

The  snows  above  had  lost  their  brilliancy,  and  it  was  dark 
below,  when  the  teamster  returned  with  several  fine  trout 
which  he  skewered  upon  a  barberry  stem.  He  also  brought 
a  deerhide  bag  from  the  wagon,  and  presently  announced 
that  supper  was  ready,  while  Alice  Deringham,  who  long 
afterwards  remembered  that  meal,  enjoyed  it  considerably 
more  than  she  would  have  believed  herself  capable  of  doing 
a  few  days  earlier.  She  had  travelled  far  in  search  of 
something  new,  and  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  tasted 
the  biting  green  tea  with  the  reek  of  the  smoke  about  it 
from  a  blackened  pannikin.  Grindstone  bread  baked  in  a 
hole  in  the  ground  was  also  a  novelty,  and  the  crumbling 
flakes  of  salmon  smoked  by  some  Siwash  Indian  a  delicacy, 
while  she  wondered  if  it  was  only  the  keen  mountain  air 
which  made  the  flesh  of  the  big  trout  so  good,  or  whether 
it  owed  anything  to  skilful  cookery. 

There  was  also,  by  way  of  background,  the  glow  of  the 
fire  flickering  athwart  the  great  columnar  trunks  which  ran 
up  into  the  dimness  above  her,  and  the  cold  glimmer  of  the 
snows  with  a  pale  star  beyond  them  when  the  red  flame 
sank,  while  the  hoarse  roar  of  an  unseen  river  emphasized 
the  silence.  At  first  she  felt  there  was  something  unreal 
and  theatrical  about  it  all.  The  light  that  blazed  up  and 
died,  awful  serenity  of  the  snow,  and  the  vast  impenetrable 
shadows  filled  with  profound  silence,  seemed  all  part  of  a 
fervidly-imagined  spectacle;  but  as  the  silence  deepened 

3? 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

and  gained  upon  her  the  position  was  reversed,  and  she 
seemed  to  feel  that  this  was  the  reality,  the  environment 
man  was  created  for,  and  she,  wrapped  in  the  tinsel  of 
civilization,  out  of  place  in  the  primeval  wilderness.  Her 
father,  immaculate  as  ever  in  his  travelling  tweeds,  with 
his  lean,  pallid  face,  also  jarred  upon  the  picture,  and  Harry 
the  teamster,  bronzed  by  frost  and  sun,  with  the  stain  of 
the  soil  upon  him,  alone  a  part  of  its  harmonies.  They 
seemed  no  longer  harsh  and  barbaric,  but  vast  and  subtle, 
and  she  felt  she  must  go  back  to  the  simplicity  she  had  laid 
aside  before  she  could  grasp  their  meaning. 

It  was  the  man  who  first  broke  the  silence.  "  I  was 
wondering  if  you  would  like  a  cigar,  sir?  "  he  said. 

Deringham  glanced  at  the  Indian-wrought  case,  which 
was  singularly  artistic,  somewhat  dubiously,  but  remember- 
ing that  something  was  due  to  their  host,  drew  a  cigar  out 
and  lighted  it.  He  said  nothing  for  a  minute,  and  then 
turned  to  the  teamster. 

"  Wherever  did  you  get  cigars  of  that  kind  from  ?  They 
are  far  better  than  any  I  could  find  in  Winnipeg,"  he  said. 

Miss  Deringham  noticed  the  man's  eyes  close  a  trifle, 
and  fancied  that  very  little  would  call  the  steely  sparkle 
she  had  seen  when  the  pack-ponies  blocked  the  trail  into 
them. 

"  Well,"  he  said  quietly,  "  a  friend  of  mine  sent  them  me, 
and  I  believe  they  came  from  Cuba.  We  don't  raise  cigars 
of  any  kind  in  British  Columbia." 

Miss  Deringham  saw  her  father's  face,  and  felt  quietly 
amused.  He  could,  she  knew,  assume  a  manner  which 
went  far  to  carry  him  smoothly  through  discontented  share- 
holders' meetings,  but  it  seemed  that  the  men  who  dwelt  in 
the  wilderness  were  at  least  as  exigent  as  those  who 
dwelt  in  London.  Deringham,  however,  glanced  at  the 
speaker. 

"  The  least  said  is  often  the  soonest  mended,  but  if  you 
think "  he  said. 

The  teamster  laughed.  "  It  should  come  from  me,  but 
the  fact  is  I  was  worrying  about  that  wagon  and  forgot,"  he 
said.  "  Now,  if  there  is  anything  I  can  tell  you  about  this 
country." 

32 


HARRY   THE   TEAMSTER 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  "  whether  you  know 
Mr.  Alton  of  Somasco." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  man,  with  a  little  smile. 

"  You  have  worked  for  him  possibly  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

Harry  the  teamster  nodded.  "  Considerably  harder  than 
I  ever  did  for  anybody  else,"  he  said. 

The  next  question  required  some  consideration,  and  he 
appeared  to  ruminate  over  it.  "  You  mean  what  kind  of 
man  he  is  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  he's  not  very  much  to  look  at, 
and  there  are  a  good  many  things  he  don't  know." 

"  So  I  should  have  fancied,"  said  the  girl,  more  to  herself 
than  the  listener,  and  wondered  whether  it  was  an  effect  of 
the  firelight  or  the  curious  twinkle  had  once  more  flashed 
into  his  eyes.  "  You  do  not  seem  to  like  him  ?  "  she  said. 

The  man  looked  into  the  fire.  "  The  trouble  is  I  know 
how  mean  he  is,",  he  said. 

"  Mean ?  "  said  the  girl.     "  That  is.  niggardly?  " 

"  No,"  said  Harry ;  "  I  don't  think  he's  niggardly.  It's 
another  word  for  low  down  in  this  country.  You  see  he  has 
always  had  to  work  hard  for  a  living,  and  never  had  time  to 
teach  himself  the  nice  little  ways  you  folks  have  in  England. 
He's  just  a  big  rough  rancher  who  has  fought  pretty 
toughly  for  his  own  hand,  and  that's  apt  to  take  the  gentle- 
ness out  of  a  man,  and  make  him  what  you  would  call 
coarse  and  brutal." 

The  girl  seemed  to  shiver.  "  Is  there  nothing  to  say  on 
the  other  side  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Well,"  said  the  teamster  reflectively,  "  I  think  he  means 
well,  and  never  took  more  than  his  right  from  any  man, 
while  there  are  people  who  would  as  soon  have  his  word 
as  its  value  in  dollar  bills." 

"  You  seem  to  know  him  suspiciously  well,"  said  Miss 
Deringham  sharply. 

"  I  do,"  said  Harry  simply,  as  he  stood  up.  "  Anyway, 
as  well  as  most  people.  You  know  where  I  fixed  your  bed 
up,  sir,  when  you  want  to  turn  in.  There's  nothing  in  this 
bush,  miss,  that  would  hurt  you." 

He  stepped  back  into  the  shadows,  and  the  camp  seemed 
lonely  without  him,  while  as  the  girl  shivered  in  the  cold 
wind,  Deringham  glanced  at  her  curiously. 

33 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

"Well?"  he  said. 

Then  the  red  crept  into  his  daughter's  cheeks  and  a 
sparkle  into  her  eyes.  "  It  will  take  a  very  long  time  to  get 
used  to.  I  could  almost  hate  the  man,"  she  said. 

"  It  is  hard  to  lose  one's  inheritance,"  said  Deringham 
dryly. 

The  flush  grew  a  trifle  plainer  in  his  daughter's  cheek. 
"  It  is  not  the  value  of  the  land,"  she  said.  "  But  think  of 
such  a  man,  a  brutal,  cattle-driving  boor,  ruling  at  Carnaby; 
where  my  mother  lived." 

"  Still,"  said  Deringham,  "  the  value  is  not  inconsiderable, 
and  Carnaby  would  have  been  yours  some  day." 

The  girl  made  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  That  is  not 
my  complaint,"  she  said.  "  I  could  have  let  it  pass  without 
bitterness  to  an  Englishman  who  would  have  lived  in  it  in 
accordance  with  the  traditions  of  his  race,  but  this  man " 

"  Will  no  doubt  cut  down  the  timber,  open  the  fireclay 
pits,  and  desecrate  the  park  with  brickworks,"  he  said. 
"  That  is,  unless  he  has  convivial  proclivities,  and,  finding 
himself  ostracized,  fills  Carnaby  with  turf  and  billiard-room 
blacklegs." 

The  girl  ground  her  heel  viciously  into  the  mould. 
"  Have  you  any  reason  for  going  into  these  details  ?  "  she 
said. 

Deringham  watched  her  closely.  "  I  only  wished  you  to 
understand  the  position,  and  to  remember  that  you  and  I 
are  both  to  some  extent  at  the  mercy  of  our  rancher  kins- 
man," he  said. 

He  left  her  presently  to  seek  the  couch  the  teamster  had 
prepared  for  him,  and  Miss  Deringham  retired  to  the 
wagon.  She  found  the  bed  of  cedar-twigs  comfortable, 
but  it  was  some  time  before  she  slept  and  dreamed  that 
a  stranger  dressed  in  coarse  blue  jean  was  holding  high 
revel  in  the  Carnaby  she  loved.  She  was  awakened  by 
the  howl  of  a  wolf,  and  lay  still  shivering,  until  she  saw 
the  tall,  dusky  figure  of  the  Canadian  approach  the  fire  and 
stand  there  as  if  on  guard  with  the  red  light  upon  him. 
Then  with  a  curious  sense  of  security  she  went  to  sleep 
again, 

34  . 


CHAPTER  IV 

HALLAM    OF   THE   TYEE 

THE  morning  was  still  and  warm  when  the  driver  of  the 
wagon  pulled  up  his  team  where  four  trails  met  in  the 
shadow  of  the  bush.  Miss  Deringham  had  somewhat  to  her 
astonishment  passed  the  night  very  comfortably  and  enjoyed 
the  breakfast  their  companion  provided.  The  bracing  cold 
of  sunrise,  when  all  the  bush  was  steeped  in  fragrance  and 
a  wonderful  freshness  came  down  from  the  snow,  had  also 
brought  her  a  curious  exhilaration,  as  well  as  a  tinge  of 
colour  into  her  cheeks,  and  now  she  was  sensible  of  a  faint 
regret  and  irritation  when  the  man  glanced  towards  her 
deprecatingly. 

"  It  would  please  me  to  drive  you  straight  through  to 
the  settlement,  but  there's  a  load  of  things  I  want  at  Cal- 
houn's  up  yonder,"  he  said. 

He  pointed  to  a  trail  that  turned  off  sharply,  and  the 
girl  glanced  at  her  father  somewhat  blankly.  "  And  what 
are  we  to  do  ?  "  said  she. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  you  can  wait  here  until 
Barscombe  comes  along.  He'll  be  riding  in  to  the  settle- 
ment presently,  and  would  be  glad  to  take  you  for  a  dollar 
or  two." 

"  But  we  might  have  to  wait  a  long  time,"  said  the  girl 
with  a  trace  of  imperiousness.  "  It  would  suit  us  consider- 
ably better  to  go  on  with  you." 

"  Sorry !  "  said  the  man  gravely.  "  I  can't  take  you. 
Calhoun's  a  busy  man,  and  he'll  be  waiting  up  at  the  ranch 
for  me.  I  told  him  I  was  coming." 

There  was  now  no  doubt  about  the  colour  in  Miss  Dering- 
ham's  face.  Few  of  her  wishes  had  been  denied  her  hitherto, 
and  most  of  the  men  she  had  met  had  been  eager  to  do  her 
bidding,  while  the  scarcely  qualified  refusal  of  this  one  came 
as  a  gainful  astonishment.  The  fact  that  she  should  be 

35 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

left  in  the  lonely  forest  to  avoid  keeping  some  rude  rancher 
waiting  was  distinctly  exasperating. 

Deringham,  however,  smiled  a  little  as  he  took  a  wallet 
from  his  pocket.  "  I  can  understand  it,  because  I  am  also 
a  busy  man  when  I'm  at  home,"  he  said.  "  It  is  a  question 
of  the  value  of  your  time  and  Mr.  Calhoun's  apparently?  " 

Though  he  possibly  did  not  realize  it  Deringham's  tone 
was  a  trifling  condescending,  and  there  was  something  in  it 
which  suggested  that  he  believed  anything  could  be  bought 
with  money.  He  was,  however,  a  little  astonished  when 
the  man  regarded  him  gravely  out  of  eyes  that  closed  a 
trifle. 

"  That's  just  where  you're  wrong,"  said  he.  "  If  I  could 
have  taken  you  on  to  save  the  lady  waiting  it  would  have 
pleased  me.  As  it  is,  I  can't,  you  see." 

He  said  nothing  more,  but  dismounting  pulled  the  boxes 
out  of  the  wagon  and  laid  some  travelling  wraps  upon  one 
of  them,  while  Miss  Deringham  affected  not  to  see  what  he 
was  doing.  "And  how  long  will  it  be  before  Barscombe 
passes  ?  "  said  she. 

"  It  can't  be  more  than  two  hours,"  said  the  teamster 
quietly.  "  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  sit  there  and  wait  for 
him." 

He  took  off  his  broad  hat  when  the  others  alighted,  and 
Miss  Deringham  noticed  there  was  a  trace  of  courtliness  in 
his  simplicity.  Then  he  strode  past  her  father,  who  was 
taking  something  out  of  his  wallet,  and  swung  himself 
lightly  into  the  wagon.  He  spoke  to  the  team,  there  was 
a  creak  and  rattle,  and  next  moment  the  vehicle  was  lurch- 
ing down  the  trail.  Deringham  stood  still  a  moment,  his 
fingers  inside  the  wallet  and  mild  wonder  in  his  eyes,  and 
then  smiled  a  little  as  his  daughter  turned  towards  him. 
There  was  a  faint  pink  flush  of  anger  in  her  cheeks. 

"  The  dollar  does  not  appear  to  retain  its  usual  influence 
in  this  part  of  Canada,"  he  said  dryly.  "  Possibly,  however, 
the  man  was  too  embarrassed  by  your  evident  displeasure 
to  remember  his  hire." 

Miss  Deringham  saw  the  twinkle  in  her  father's  eyes  and 
laughed  a  little.  "  I  don't  think  he  was,"  she  said.  "  Had 
that  been  the  case  one  could  have  forgiven  him  more 

36 


HALLAM  OF   THE   TYEE 

easily.  Well,  I  wonder  how  long  Barscombe  will  keep  us 
waiting." 

Deringham  made  a  whimsical  gesture  of  resignation. 
"  In  the  meantime  I  notice  that  our  late  conductor  has  ar- 
ranged a  comfortable  seat  for  you,"  he  said. 

The  girl  sat  down,  and  looked  about  her.  It  was  very 
still  in  the  bush,  and  the  sound  of  running  water  drifted 
musically  out  of  the  silence.  From  somewhere  in  the  dis- 
tance there  also  came  a  curious  drumming  which  she  did 
not  know  then  was  made  by  an  axe,  but  it  presently  ceased, 
and  the  song  of  the  river  rose  alone  in  long  drowsy  pulsa- 
tions. In  front  of  and  behind  her  stretched  the  rows  of 
serried  trunks  which  had  grown  to  vastness  of  girth  and 
stateliness  with  the  centuries,  and  the  girl,  who  was  of 
quick  perceptions,  felt  instinctively  the  influence  of  their 
age  and  silence.  There  was,  it  seemed,  something  intan- 
gible but  existent  in  this  still  land  of  shadow  which  re- 
acted upon  her  pleasantly  after  the  artificial  gaieties  and 
glitter  of  surface  civilization.  Her  impatience  and  irrita- 
tion seemed  to  melt,  and  the  time  slipped  by,  until  she  was 
almost  drowsy  when  with  an  increasing  rattle  another 
wagon  came  jolting  down  the  trail. 

Its  driver  pulled  up,  and  regarded  them  with  placid 
astonishment,  but  he  was  amenable  to  the  influence  of 
Deringham's  wallet,  and  they  took  their  places  in  the 
vehicle.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  about  the  man, 
and  he  ruminated  gravely  when  as  they  stopped  to  let 
the  horses  drink  Deringham  asked  him  a  question  con- 
cerning their  late  companion. 

"  It  might  have  been  Thomson,"  he  said.  "  A  big  man, 
kind  of  solid  and  homely  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Deringham  reflectively.  "  I  should 
scarcely  describe  him  as  homely." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other,  "  if  you  told  me  the  kind  of 
wagon  I  might  guess  at  him." 

Deringham  described  the  vehicle  as  well  as  he  was  able, 
and  the  stranger  nodded.  "  That's  Jimmy  Thomson's 
outfit  all  right,"  said  he.  "What  did  he  charge  you?" 

Miss  Deringham  laughed.  "  It  is  curious  that  he  charged 
US  nothing,"  said  she. 

37 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

"  Well,"  said  the  stranger  gravely,  "  that  was  blame  un- 
like Jimmy.  There's  only  one  man  in  this  country  would 
do  that  kind  of  thing,  and  as  he  hasn't  a  wagon  to  fit  what 
you're  telling  me,  it  couldn't  be  him." 

Miss  Deringham  had  purposed  asking  who  the  man  in 
question  was,  but  the  driver  started  his  team  just  then,  and 
an  hour  later  drove  them  into  the  sleepy  settlement  and 
carried  their  boxes  into  Morton's  hotel.  He  gravely  invited 
Deringham  to  drink  with  him,  and  appearing  mildly 
astonished  went  about  his  business  when  the  latter  declined. 
Deringham  smiled  at  his  daughter. 

"  There  are,  as  one  might  expect,  men  of  somewhat 
different  type  in  this  country,  but  I  prefer  the  first  one," 
said  he. 

Miss  Deringham  also  fancied  that  she  did  so,  though  she 
did  not  admit  it,  and  that  evening  was  made  acquainted 
with  yet  another  and  more  different  one.  Horton  as  usual 
served  supper  at  six  o'clock,  and  all  his  guests  were  expected 
to  partake  of  reasty  pork,  potatoes,  flapjacks,  green  tea  and 
fruits  at  the  same  table.  To  this  he  made  no  exception, 
and  would  not  have  done  so  for  the  premier,  and  when  a 
small  company  of  axemen  and  free  prospectors  filed  in 
Deringham  and  his  daughter  took  their  places  amidst  the 
rest. 

The  room  was  long  and  bare,  boarded  with  rough- 
sawn  cedar,  and  furnished  chiefly  by  the  benches  that  ran 
down  either  side  of  the  plain  table ;  but  the  aromatic  smell 
of  the  wood  was  stronger  than  that  of  stale  tobacco,  and 
the  company  avoided  more  than  quietly  respectful  glances 
at  the  daintily-dressed  Englishwoman. 

They  were  quiet  men  with  grave  and  steady  eyes,  and 
though  they  ate  as  if  feeding  was  a  serious  business,  and 
they  had  no  time  to  waste,  there  was  nothing  in  their 
converse  that  jarred  upon  the  girl.  Indeed,  she  saw  one 
break  off  in  a  story  whose  conclusion  she  fancied  might 
not  have  pleased  her  when  a  comrade  glanced  at  him 
deprecatingly.  In  another  ten  minutes  they  filed  out  again, 
and  Deringham  smiled  at  his  daughter.  "  What  -do  you 
think  of  them  ?  "  he  said. 

The  girl  laughed.    "  Ostriches,"  she  said.    "  Of  course,  I 

38 


HALLAM   OF   THE   TYEE 

• 

guess  your  thoughts.  You  were  wondering  if  my  kinsman 
resembles  them.  How  long  do  we  stay  here  ?  " 

Deringham  glanced  at  her  covertly,  and  noticed  the  faint 
sparkle  in  her  eyes  and  the  scornful  set  of  her  lips.  "  That 
depends,"  he  said,  "partly  upon  our  kinsman's  attitude, 
for  if  he  offered  us  hospitality  we  should  probably  stay  a 
little.  You  were  also  right,  my  dear,  as  usual." 

The  girl's  pose  grew  a  trifle  more  rigid,  and  the  fingers 
of  one  hand  seemed  to  close  vindictively.  "  It  is  grotesque 
— almost  horrible,  isn't  it  ?  "  she  said. 

Her  father  nodded.  "  It  might  be,"  he  said.  "  Still,  as 
you  know,  the  Carnaby  affairs  are  involved,  and  there  is  a 
possibility  of  contesting  his  claim  under  the  somewhat 
extravagant  will.  It  is  not  altogether  improbable  that  I 
shall  find  means  of  persuading  him  to  stay  here  with  his 
cows  and  pigs." 

Deringham  slightly  accentuated  part  of  the  sentence, 
and  again  a  faint  tinge  of  colour  crept  into  the  face  of  the 
girl  and  vindictiveness  into  her  eyes,  for  she  understood 
him.  The  man  who  had  on  his  deathbed  bequeathed  Carn- 
aby to  his  grandson  had  driven  out  the  young  man's  father 
years  ago,  and  approaching  dissolution  had  possibly  some- 
what clouded  his  faculties  when  he  made  the  will.  Dering- 
ham, who  had  married  into  the  Alton  family,  and  figured 
as  a  legatee,  was,  with  the  exception  of  the  disinherited, 
the  nearest  of  kin,  and  it  had  been  generally  expected 
that  Carnaby  would  fall  to  his  daughter;  but  perhaps  in 
an  endeavour  to  treat  both  sides  fairly,  its  dying  owner 
had,  in  the  face  of  his  lawyer's  protests,  inserted  one  clause 
which,  for  financial  reasons,  rendered  a  second  union  be- 
tween the  houses  of  Alton  and  Deringham  distinctly  ad- 
visable. There  was,  however,  a  high  spirit  in  the  girl,  and 
she  looked  at  her  father  steadily. 

"  But  you  were  left  the  money,  or  most  of  it  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham  grimly.    "  I  was  left  the  money." 

The  girl  asked  nothing  further,  for  there  was  something 
in  the  man's  face  which  warned  her  not  to  press  that 
subject.  She  knew  that  her  father  had  long  acted  as 
financial  adviser  to  the  late  owner  of  Carnaby,  but  it  was 
not  astonishing  that  Deringham  had  not  told  her  he  had 

39 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

exceeded  the  discretion  allowed  him,  and  been  singularly 
unfortunate  in  his  speculations. 

She  rose,  and  a  man  who  like  themselves  had  finished 
his  meal  leisurely  followed  them  outside  into  the  verandah. 
He  smiled  as  he  drew  out  a  chair  for  the  girl,  and  then  sat 
down  opposite  her  father  with  a  card  in  his  hand. 

"  Glad  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Deringham.  I'll  introduce  my- 
self," said  he. 

Deringham  took  the  card  handed  him,  and  glanced  with 
an  air  of  quiet  indifference  at  the  stranger,  while  his  daugh- 
ter looked  apparently  straight  past  him  towards  the  climb- 
ing pines.  Nevertheless,  she  had  seen  the  man,  and  was 
not  pleased  with  him.  He  had  a  somewhat  fleshy  face, 
beady  black  eyes  with  a  boldness  in  them  that  was  more 
akin  to  insolence  than  courage,  and  a  full-lipped,  mobile 
mouth.  His  dress  was  correct  enough,  though  he  wore  a 
somewhat  ample  ring  with  a  diamond  in  it,  and  his  watch- 
chain  was  too  heavy  and  prominent,  but  there  was  a  sug- 
gestion of  coarseness  about  him.  Her  father,  leaning  for- 
ward in  his  chair  with  an  air  of  languid  curiosity,  the  card 
in  his  slender  fingers,  appeared  his  antithesis,  and  yet  the 
girl  fancied  there  was  a  resemblance  in  the  expression  of 
the  two  faces.  She  also  felt  her  dislike  for  the  stranger 
increased  when  she  saw  for  the  first  time  the  look  of  greed 
and  cunning  in  his  face  reflected  in  that  of  her  father.  She 
had  hitherto  only  pictured  him  as  a  skilful  financier,  but 
now  she  saw  qualities  she  had  never  suspected  in  him 
revealed  as  by  a  daring  caricature. 

"  Willard  Hallam,"  Deringham  read  aloud.  "  Hallam 
and  Vose.  Land  and  mining  agents.  Advances  made  on 
mineral  claims." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  stranger,  smiling.     "  That's  me." 

Deringham  made  no  comment,  but  laid  the  card  down 
beside  him.  "  I  wonder,"  he  said  indifferently,  "  how  you 
came  to  know  me." 

The  chilling  evenness  of  his  voice  seemed  to  irritate  the 
other  man,  and  Alice  Deringham  was  conscious  of  a  faint 
amusement  as  she  glanced  at  them.  Deringham  in  his 
tweed  travelling  attire,  which,  worn  with  apparent  careless- 
ness, seemed  to  hang  with  every  fold  just  where  it  should 

40 


HALLAM   OF   THE   TYEE 

be,  was  wholly  at  his  ease,  and  there  was  a  trace  of  half- 
expressed  toleration  in  his  thin,  finely-cut  face,  while 
Hallam  appeared  to  become  coarse  and  embarrassed  by 
comparison.  He  probably  did  not  feel  so,  for  diffidence  of 
any  kind  is  not  common  in  the  West,  but  he  may  have 
realized  that  in  any  delicate  fencing  the  advantage  would 
lie  with  Deringham.  Both,  producing  nothing  and  living 
upon  the  toil  of  their  fellows,  played  the  same  game,  but, 
while  the  stakes  and  counters  are  very  similar,  one  played 
it  in  Vancouver  and  the  other  in  London,  where  a  more 
subtle  finesse  is  demanded  from  the  players. 

Hallam,  however,  smiled.  "  I  don't  know  that  you  will 
be  pleased  when  I  tell  you,  but  this  should  explain  things," 
he  said.  "  Of  course,  since  your  company  took  hold  out 
here  I  have  heard  of  you." 

Deringham  took  the  Colonial  journal  handed  him,  glanced 
down  a  paragraph,  and  passed  it  to  his  daughter.  "Your 
maid ! "  he  said.  "  I  fancied  it  was  a  mistake  to  part 
with  her,  my  dear.  It  is  evident  she  has  not  gone 
home." 

Alice  Deringham  unconsciously  drew  herself  up  a  trifle, 
as  her  eyes  ran  down  the  column.  It  was  headed  "  Another 
missing  heir,"  and  ran :  "  We  are  getting  used  to  having 
our  railroad-shovelling  and  trail-cutting  done  by  scions  of 
the  British  aristocracy,  and  seldom  ask  them  what  they 
did  in  the  old  country  so  long  as  they  behave  themselves 
decently  in  this  one.  Twice  recently,  as  mentioned  in 
these  columns,  the  successor  to  an  English  property  of  some 
value  was  discovered,  in  the  one  case  peddling  oranges, 
and  in  the  other  digging  a  rancher's  ditches,  while  now 
we  have  another  instance  in  the  Somasco  valley.  It  appears 
that  long  ago  there  was  a  family  quarrel  at  Carnaby,  Eng- 
land, and  though  we  do  not  know  what  it  was  all  about, 
the  owner  of  what  we  understand  is  an  encumbered  estate 
turned  out  his  son,  who  had  the  good  sense  to  come  out 
to  this  country,  where  he  did  pretty  well.  He  died  and 
left  a  son,  Mr.  Henry  Alton,  well  known  in  the  Somasco 
district,  who  appears  to  be  a  credit  to  the  country  which 
took  his  father  in.  The  owner  of  Carnaby  dying  later, 
left  the  ancestral  property  to  him,  and,  as  in  this  case  there 

41 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

does  not  seem  to  be  a  wicked  uncle,  Mr.  Deringham,  the 
next  of  kin  and  a  distinguished  London  financier  who  has, 
we  believe,  had  some  dealings  in  local  mines,  has  come  out 
to  look  for  him.  Mr.  Alton  of  Somasco  will  probably  stop 
right  where  he  is  if  he  is  the  sensible  man  his  neighbours 
seem  to  think  him." 

"  That's  correct  ?  "  said  Hallam,  glancing  at  Deringham. 
"  I  knew  who  you  were  when  I  saw  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham.  "  The  taste  is  questionable,  but 
I  can't  deny  its  comparative  accuracy." 

"  Then,"  said  Hallam,  "  Alton  stands  between  you  and 
this  Carnaby  property  ?  " 

"  I  believe  so,"  said  Deringham  quietly. 

"  It's  a  big  estate  ?  "  said  Hallam,  and  Alice  Deringham, 
who  knew  his  capabilities,  wondered  when  her  father  would 
effectually  silence  this  presumptuous  stranger.  In  the  mean- 
while he,  however,  showed  no  intention  of  doing  so. 

"  No,"  he  said  languidly.  "  It  is  a  small  one,  and  heavily 
in  debt.  I  presume  you  know  rancher  Alton  by  the  interest 
you  show  in  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hallam,  "  and  I  don't  like  him." 

Deringham  scarcely  glanced  at  his  daughter,  but  she 
realized  that  her  presence  was  not  especially  desired,  and 
when  she  rose  and  went  back  into  the  building  her  father 
glanced  steadily  at  Hallam. 

"  I  wonder  why  you  told  me  that,"  he  said. 

Hallam  laughed.  "  Well,  I  generally  talk  straight,  and 
I  feel  like  that,"  he  said.  "  Now,  they  don't  keep  anything 
that  doesn't  bum  a  hole  in  you  here,  and  I've  a  bottle  of 
English  whisky.  Don't  see  any  reason  why  you  shouldn't 
take  a  drink  with  me?" 

"  No,"  said  Deringham  indifferently.  "  I  am,  however,  a 
somewhat  abstemious  man." 

Hallam  went  into  the  building  and  returned  with  a  cigar- 
case  and  a  bottle.  The  contents  of  both  were  good,  and 
Deringham  sat  languidly  glancing  over  the  curling  smoke 
towards  the  glimmering  snow.  It  towered  white  and  cold 
against  a  pale  green,  shining  high  above  climbing  pines 
and  dusky  valley,  while  the  fleecy  mist  crept  higher  and 
higher  athwart  the  serried  waves  of  trees  that  fell  to  the 

42 


HALLAM  OF   THE   TYEE 

river  hollow.  Alice  Deringham  saw  it,  and  drinking  in 
the  wonderful  freshness  that  came  down  from  the  peaks 
and  permeated  the  silence  of  the  valley,  realized  a  little 
of  that  great  white  rampart's  awful  serenity.  She  also 
wondered  vacantly  what  the  two  men  on  the  verandah 
were  talking  about ;  but  in  this  she  was  wrong,  for  Hallam, 
overcharged  with  Western  vivacity,  was  talking,  and  her 
father  waiting  quietly. 

"  No,"  said  the  former,  returning  to  the  subject  with  an 
affectation  of  naive  directness.  "  I  don't  like  Alton,  and  I 
figure  he  don't  like  me.  Nothing  wrong  with  the  man  that 
I  know  of,  but  I'm  not  fond  of  anybody  who  gets  in  my 
way,  and  Alton  of  Somasco  has  taken  out  timber  rights  all 
over  the  valley  where  we're  running  the  Tyee.  He  got  in 
with  his  claim  a  day  or  two  ahead  of  me." 

"  A  capable  man  ?  "  said  Deringham  quietly. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  other.  "  He's  capable,  so  far  as  he 
sees,  but  the  trouble  is  he  doesn't  see  quite  far  enough. 
Now,  there's  not  room  enough  for  two  men  with  notions 
round  about  Somasco,  and  a  one-horse  rancher  can't  fight 
men  with  money,  so  Alton's  got  hold  of  a  good  deal  bigger 
contract  than  he  can  carry  through.  Anyway,  now  I've 
told  you  what  I  think  of  your  relation,  you  can  if  you  feel 
like  that  let  right  go  of  me." 

Deringham  smiled  a  little.  "  This,"  he  said,  "  is  the 
best  whisky  I  have  tasted  in  Canada." 

Hallam  laughed.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I'm  glad  I  met  you, 
especially  as  you'll  no  doubt  stop  here  a  little,  and  size  up 
the  mineral  resources  of  the  country.  There's  lots  of  infor- 
mation lying  round  that  should  be  useful  to  you.  Any- 
way, you  made  a  big  mistake  when  you  took  up  the  Peveril. 
Dropped  a  good  many  dollars  that  time,  didn't  you  ?  " 

Deringham's  face  grew  a  trifle  grim.  "  As  you  probably 
know  just  what  the  mistake  cost  us  there  is  no  use  in  me 
denying  it,"  said  he. 

"  Well,"  said  Hallam  sympathetically,  "  one  can't  always 
come  out  on  top,  and  if  you're  stopping  down  at  Vancouver 
I  may  be  of  some  use  to  you,  and  you  to  me.  If  you'll  come 
up  to-morrow  I'll  show  you  the  Tyee,  and  I've  something 
better  still  up  the  valley." 

43 


"  I'm  sorry,"  said  Deringham  indifferently ;  "  I'm  going 
through  to  Somasco !  " 

Hallam  glanced  at  him  steadily.  "  Of  course  you  are," 
said  he.  "  Well,  I've  told  you  nothing  Alton  doesn't  know, 
and  I've  letters  to  answer.  You'll  excuse  me  ?  " 

Deringham  rose  with  him,  and  strolling  along  the 
verandah  together  they  stopped  a  moment  at  the  door, 
close  by  where  Alice  Deringham  sat  at  an  open  window. 
It  was  growing  dark  now,  but  the  last  of  the  afterglow  was 
flung  down  into  their  faces  by  the  snow,  and  it  seemed 
to  the  girl  that  the  resemblance  between  them  had  grown 
stronger.  Her  father's  appeared  a  trifle  less  refined  in  its 
chiselling  than  it  had  been,  and  there  was  a  look  which  did 
not  please  her  in  his  eyes.  It  suggested  cupidity  and  cun- 
ning in  place  of  intellectuality. 

"  Well,"  said  Hallam,  "  you'll  call  on  me  at  Vancouver 
anyway,  and  it's  possible  we  may  be  some  use  to  each 
other." 

The  hint  of  a  confidence  or  understanding  between  them 
which  the  man's  tone  conveyed  irritated  the  girl,  but  she 
saw  that  her  father  d.d  not  resent  it.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  If 
I  think  I  can  benefit  by  your  co-operation  in  any  way  I  will 
not  fail  to  let  you  know." 

Hallam  went  in,  and  Deringham  leaned  upon  the 
verandah  balustrade  smoking  tranquilly  while  the  shadows 
that  left  the  rolling  mist  behind  crept  higher  and  higher  up 
the  climbing  pines  until  at  last  they  touched  and  smeared 
into  dimness  the  ethereal  snow.  Then  the  girl  rose  with  a 
shiver  and  turned  towards  her  father  as  Horton  lighted  the 
big  lantern  at  the  door.  Deringham's  face  was,  she  fancied, 
a  trifle  haggard. 

"  I  wonder  why  you  have  borne  with  that  man  so  long," 
she  said. 

Deringham  smiled  a  little.  "  There  are  many  kinds  of 
men,  and  presumably  all  of  them  are  useful  in  their  place," 
said  he. 


THE  sun  was  dipping  towards  the  black  ridge  of  firs  on 
the  shoulder  of  a  hill  when  Deringham  and  his  daughter 
rode  down  the  winding  trail  into  the  Somasco  valley.  The 
girl  gazed  about  her  with  eager  curiosity,  but  the  man  who 
rode  in  silence  apparently  saw  nothing,  and  it  was  only 
when  his  horse  stumbled  into  a  rut  that  he  glanced  round 
for  a  moment  abstractedly.  Deringham  had  much  to 
occupy  his  mind  just  then,  for  while  it  was  generally  under- 
stood that  he  had  made  the  journey  at  a  physician's  recom- 
mendation, he  had  reasons  for  choosing  British  Columbia  to 
recuperate  in. 

He  still  retained  control  of  the  finances  of  Carnaby  with 
the  concurrence  of  the  trustees,  who  were  country  gentlemen 
of  no  business  capacity,  and  as  it  suited  the  family  lawyer 
to  remain  on  good  terms  with  him  nothing  more  than  a 
very  perfunctory  account  of  his  stewardship  had  been  de- 
manded. The  late  owner  of  Carnaby  had  been  a  man  of 
simple  tastes  .and  unbending  pride,  who  had  a  faint  con- 
tempt for  his  kinsman,  and  refrained  from  inquiries  re- 
specting finances  while  there  was  no  stoppage  of  supplies. 
There  were  one  or  two  men  who  suspected  that  Deringham 
had  profited  by  his  relative's  supineness,  but  it  was  only  a 
vague  surmise,  and  they  did  not  know  that  the  legacy 
bequeathed  him  had  little  more  than  an  apparent  value. 
Deringham  had  been  unfortunate  in  his  latest  ventures, 
and  could  foresee  considerable  difficulty  in  extricating  him- 
self from  a  distinctly  unpleasant  position  if  the  new  heir 
decided  to  take  immediate  possession  of  his  property.  The 
latter  had,  however,  shown  no  great  desire  to  do  so,  and 
Deringham  had  accepted  a  commission  from  the  trustees 
to  ascertain  his  intentions. 

A  company  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  promoters  had 

45 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

also  invcste'd  somewhat  unhappily  in  Western  mines,  and 
Deringham,  who  purposed  to  see  what  could  be  done  with 
the  depreciated  securities,  intended  that  the  expenses  of  his 
sojourn  in  the  mountain  province  should  be  borne  by  the 
shareholders.  He  had  acquired  considerable  facility  in  the 
art  of  managing' them,  but  the  owner  of  Carnaby  was  an 
unknown  quantity  and  Deringham  was  anxious. 

Presently  his  daughter  reined  in  her  pony.  "  Stop  a 
moment,  father.  That  must  be  the  ranch,"  she  said. 

The  man  drew  bridle,  and  for  a  moment  forgot  his  per- 
plexities as  he  gazed  at  the  scene  before  him.  Far  down 
in  the  valley  lay  a  still  blue  lake  with  a  great  white  peak 
shining  ethereally  at  its  northern  end.  Dark  pines  rolled 
about  it,  growing  smaller  and  smaller  up  the  hillside  until 
they  dwindled  with  spires  clean  cut  against  the  azure  into 
a  gossamer  filigree.  Between  them  and  the  water  stu- 
pendous forest  shrouded  all  the  valley,  save  where  an 
oblong  of  pale  verdure  ran  back  from  the  fringe  of  boulders 
and  was  traversed  by  the  frothing  streak  of  a  river  whose 
roar  came  up  hoarsely  across  the  pines  in  long  pulsations. 

That  was  all  Deringham  saw  at  first  sight,  but  he  realized 
that  it  was  very  beautiful,  and  then  commenced  to  note 
details  with  observant  eyes.  There  was  a  sawmill  beside 
the  river,  for  he  could  faintly  hear  a  strident  scream  and 
see  the  blue  smoke  drifting  in  gauzy  wisps  across  the  hill. 
The  square  log-house  which  stood  some  little  distance  from 
the  lake  looked  well  built  and  substantial,  and  the  road 
that  wound  through  the  green  oblong  had  been  skilfully 
laid  with  rounded  strips  sawn  off  the  great  fir-trunks. 
Sleek  cattle  stood  apparently  ready  for  dispatch  in  a  corral, 
the  yellowing  oats  beyond  them  were  railed  oft  by  a  six- 
foot  fence,  and  behind  the  rows  of  sawn-off  stumps  which 
ringed  about  the  clearing  great  trunks  and  branches  lay  piled 
in  the  confusion  of  the  slashing.  Deringham  was  not  a 
farmer,  but  he  was  a  man  of  affairs,  and  all  he  saw  spoke 
to  him  of  prosperity  that  sprang  from  strenuous  energy 
and  administrative  ability. 

"  You  are  very  silent,"  said  his  daughter.  "  What  are 
you  thinking  ?  " 

Deringham  laughed  a  little,  somewhat  mirthlessly.     "It 

46 


THE   HEIR   OF    CARNABY 

occurs  to  me  that  whatever  our  unknown  relative  may  be 
he  is  a  good  rancher,  if  this  is  his  handiwork,"  he  said. 
"  Well,  we  shall  see  him  very  shortly." 

The  girl's  fingers  tightened  a  little  on  the  switch  she 
held.  "  We  know  what  we  shall  find,"  she  said  with  a 
gesture  of  cold  disdain.  "  It  would  be  so  much  easier  if  he 
had  only  been  an  educated  Englishman !  " 

"  Still,"  said  Deringham  dryly,  "  since  we  are  ousted 
from  Carnaby  I  do  not  see  that  it  makes  any  great 
difference." 

Miss  Deringham's  eyes  sparkled,  and  a  spot  of  colour 
tinged  her  cheeks.  Her  mother  had  been  one  of  the  Altons 
who  had  long  been  proud  of  Carnaby,  and  the  instincts 
of  the  landholding  race  were  strong  within  her. 

"  No  ?  "  she  said,  with  a  little  scornful  inflection.  "  And 
you  could  look  on  while  a  cattle-driving  boor  made  himself 
a  laughing-stock  at  Carnaby  ?  " 

Deringham  smiled  again.  "  I  am,"  he  said,  "  inclined  to 
feel  sorry  for  the  Canadian,  but  you  will  at  least  be  civil 
to  him." ' 

Miss  Deringham  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience. 
"  You  do  not  suppose  I  should  be  openly  resentful  ?  "  she 
said. 

Her  father  still  appeared  ironically  amused.  "I  do  not 
know  that  it  would  be  necessary,  but  I  fancy  the  Canadian 
will  have  cause  to  regret  he  is  an  Alton,"  he  said.  "  No 
doubt  it  would  be  some  solace  to  you  to  make  him  realize 
his  offences,  but  I  scarcely  think  it  would  be  advisable." 

Then  they  rode  down  into  the  valley,  through  oatfields, 
and  between  the  tall  fir-stumps  that  rose  amidst  the  fern, 
under  the  boughs  of  an  orchard,  and  up  to  the  square  log- 
house.  Nobody  came  out  to  receive  them,  or  answered 
their  call,  and  Deringham,  dismounting,  helped  his  daughter 
down,  and  tethering  the  horses  passed  through  the  verandah 
into  the  house.  The  long  table  in  the  big  log-walled  room 
they  entered  was  littered  with  unwashed  plates.  Torn  over- 
alls and  old  knee-boots  lay  amidst  the  axes  and  big  saws 
in  one  corner,  the  dust  was  heavy  everywhere,  and  rifles 
and  salmon-spears  hung  upon  the  walls.  There  was  no 
sign  of  taste  or  comfort.  Everything  suggested  grim  utility, 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

and  the  house  was  very  still.  The  girl,  who  was  tired, 
sat  down  with  a  little  gesture  of  dismay. 

"  This  is  worse  and  worse,"  she  said. 

Deringham,  who  was  fond  of  his  daughter,  laid  a  hand 
upon  her  shoulder  reassuringly.  "  You  can  go  on  to  Van- 
couver when  you  wish,"  said  he.  "  Sit  still  and  rest,  while 
I  see  if  there  is  anybody  about." 

He  strolled  round  the  homestead,  and  noticed  that  log 
barns  and  stables  were  all  well  built,  while  presently  he 
found  a  man  plucking  fowls  in  a  galvanized  shed.  There 
was  a  row  of  them  before  him,  all  without  heads,  while  an 
ensanguined  axe  close  by  indicated  the  fashion  of  their 
execution.  He  glanced  at  Deringham  a  moment,  and  then 
fell  to  work  again. 

"  Oh,  yes,  this  is  Somasco,  and  the  finest  ranch  this  side 
of  the  Fraser,"  he  said.  "  Can  you  see  Mr.  Alton  ?  Well, 
I  figure  he's  busy,  and  you  had  better  wait  a  little.  Get 
hold  of  this.  It's  your  supper." 

Deringham  recoiled  a  pace  when  a  somewhat  gory  fowl 
struck  him  on  the  knee,  and  then  sat  down  on  a  pile  of 
cedar-wood  staring  at  the  speaker.  "  I  wish  to  see  Mr. 
Alton  as  soon  as  possible,"  he  said. 

The  other  man  looked  up  again,  and  grinned.  "  You'd 
better  not,"  said  he.  "  Harry  Alton's  a  bit  short  in  temper 
when  he's  busy,  and  if  you're  peddling  anything  it  would 
be  better  if  you  saw  him  after  supper.  Then  if  you  can't 
make  a  deal  you  can  go  on  to-morrow.  There's  plenty  good 
straw  in  the  barn." 

Deringham  was  not  especially  flattered  at  being  mis- 
taken for  a  peddler,  nor  had  the  prospect  of  sleeping  on 
straw  any  great  attraction  for  him,  but  he  had  a  sense  of 
humour,  and,  being  desirous  of  acquiring  information,  took 
up  the  fowl. 

"  Do  you  put  up  every  stranger  who  calls  here,  and  give 
him  a  fowl  for  supper  ?  What  am  I  to  do  with  this  one  ?  " 
he  said. 

"  Now,  where  did  you  come  from  ? "  said  the  other. 
"  That's  just  what  we  do.  A  fowl's  not  much  for  a  man, 
anyway,  and  Harry  will  eat  two  of  them  when  he's  hungry. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?  Well,  you  can  pull 

48 


THE   HEIR   OF   CARNABY 

the  feathers  off  it,  and  fix  it  for  cooking,  unless  you  like 
them  better  with  their  insides  in." 

Deringham  gravely  pulled  out  four  or  five  feathers,  and 
then,  finding  it  more  difficult  than  he  had  expected, 
desisted.  "  Mr.  Alton  is  apparently  not  married,"  he  said. 

The  man  grinned.  "  No,  Harry  knows  when  he's  well 
off,  and  it  would  take  a  woman  with  a  mighty  firm  grip 
to  manage  him,"  said  he.  "  Still,  there's  one  or  two  of  them 
quite  ready  to  see  what  they  could  make  of  him,  but  Mrs. 
Margery  scares  them  off  when  they  come  round  bringing 
him  little  things,  and  Harry's  a  bit  pernicketty.  His  father 
was  a  duke  or  something  in  the  old  country." 

"  Mrs.  Margery  ?  "  said  Deringham  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other.  "  She's  not  here  just  now,  but 
she  keeps  the  house  for  him.  I  help  round  and  do  the 
cooking." 

Deringham,  who  could  adapt  himself  to  his  surroundings, 
nodded.  "  That  is  what  you  would  consider  a  soft  job  in 
this  country  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  grimly,  as  he  pointed  to  the  de- 
formation of  one  lower  limb,  "  I  am  not  fond  of  it,  but 
it's  about  all  I'm  good  for  now.  That's  where  the  axe 
went  in,  and  anybody  but  Harry  Alton  might  have  fired 
me.  It  was  my  own  blame  foolishness,  too,  but  when  the 
doctor  told  him  Harry  comes  to  me.  '  You  needn't  worry 
about  one  thing,  anyway.  There'll  be  a  job  for  you  just 
so  long  as  you're  wanting  it,'  "  says  he. 

"  He  does  that  kind  of  thing  sometimes  ?  "  said  Dering- 
ham curiously. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  other  dryly.  "  He  does  it  every  time, 
but  the  devil  himself  wouldn't  squeeze  ten  cents  out  of 
Harry  if  he  didn't  want  to  give  it  him.  But  how  long  are 
you  going  to  be  stripping  that  fowl  ?  " 

"  As  I'm  afraid  it  would  take  me  all  night,  I  would  prefer 
to  give  you  a  half-a-dollar  to  do  it  for  me,"  said  Deringham. 

The  man  straightened  himself  a  little,  and  Deringham 
received  another  surprise. 

"  Patent  medicines  and  hair-growers  are  up?  "  said  he. 

"  I  don't  quite  understand,"  said  Deringham  quietly. 

"  No  ?  "  said  the  other.     "  Well,  you  will  do  presently 

49 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

unless  you  get  right  out  of  this  shanty.  I'm  fit  to  make  my 
wages  yet,  if  I've  only  got  one  handy  leg,  and  I  can  put 
my  mark  on  any  blame  peddler  who  talks  that  way  to  me." 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  Deringham  gravely.  "  I  have,  you  see, 
just  come  from  England,  where  folks  are  not  always  so  well 
paid  as  you  seem  to  be.  I  think  I  will  look  for  Mr.  Alton. 
Can  you  tell  me  where  he  is  ?  " 

The  man,  who  appeared  a  trifle  mollified,  pointed  to  the 
bush.  "  He's  yonder,  but  if  he  scares  you,  you  needn't 
blame  me,"  he  said. 

Deringham  picked  his  way  amidst  the  six-foot  fir-stumps 
girdled  with  tall  fern,  over  a  breadth  of  white  ashes  and 
charcoal  where  the  newly-won  land  lay  waiting  for  the 
plough,  in  and  out  amidst  the  chaos  of  trunks  that  lay 
piled  athwart  each  other  all  round  the  clearing,  and  stopped 
close  by  three  men  who  were  making  an  onslaught  on  a 
majestic  tree.  Its  topmost  sprays  towered  two  hundred 
feet  above  them,  and  the  great  trunk  ran  a  stupendous 
column  to  the  vault  of  dusky  green  above.  It  was,  however, 
the  men  who  most  attracted  Deringham's  attention,  and  he 
stood  for  a  moment  watching  them. 

Two  were  poised  on  narrow  boards  notched  into  the  tree 
a  man's  height  from  the  ground,  and  one  was  huge  and 
swarthy,  so  that  the  heavy  axe  he  held  seemed  a  toy  in  his 
great  gnarled  hand.  The  other,  whose  figure  seemed  in 
some  respects  familiar,  stooped  a  little  with  the  bright  axe 
blade  laid  flat  in  one  palm  as  though  he  were  examining 
it,  and  Deringham,  who  could  not  see  his  face,  turned 
towards  another  who  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  sharpening 
a  big  saw.  His  overalls  were  in  tolerable  repair,  while 
from  an  indefinite  something  in  his  face  and  the  way  he 
wore  them  Deringham  set  him  down  as  an  Englishman. 
Still,  he  did  not  think  he  was  an  Alton. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  where  Mr.  Henry  Alton  is  ?  "  he  said. 

The  young  man  nodded.     "  Harry !  "  he  said. 

Then  the  man  on  the  plank  above  turned  round,  and 
Deringham  felt  inclined  to  gasp  as  he  stood  face  to  face 
with  the  new  heir  to  Carnaby.  The  man  was  grimed  with 
dust  and  ashes.  His  blue  shirt  rolled  back  to  the  shoulders 
left  uncovered  arms  that  were  corded  like  a  smith's,  and 

5* 


THE   HEIR  OF   CARNABY 

was  rent  at  the  neck  so  that  Deringham  could  see  the 
finely-arched  chest.  The  overalls,  tight-belted  round  the 
waist,  set  off  the  solidity  of  his  shoulders  and  the  leanness 
of  the  flank,  while  with  the  first  glance  at  his  face  Dering- 
ham recognized  the  teamster  who  had  driven  them  through 
the  bush. 

He  stood  poised  on  the  few  inches  of  springy  redwood 
looking  down  upon  him  with  a  grimly  humorous  twinkle 
in  his  eyes,  but  through  the  smears  of  perspiration  and  the 
charcoal  grime  Deringham  now  recognized  the  expression 
of  quiet  forcefulness  and  the  directness  of  gaze  which  was 
his  birthright. 

"Mr.  Henry  Alton?"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other  quietly. 

There  was  a  moment's  embarrassing  silence,  for  Alton 
said  nothing  further,  and  Deringham  gazed  at  the  man  he 
had  journeyed  three  thousand  miles  to  see. 

"  I  should  like  a  little  talk  with  you,"  he  said  presently. 

"  Can't  oblige  you,"  said  the  other.  "  I  couldn't  spare 
more  than  a  minute  now  for  a  railroad  director.  You  can 
tell  me  anything  you  want  after  supper." 

Deringham  lost  a  little  of  his  usual  serenity.  "  My 
business  is  of  some  importance,"  he  said. 

Alton  smiled  grimly.  "  I  can't  help  that.  So  is  mine," 
said  he.  "  A  lawyer,  by  the  stamp  of  you.  Well,  you're 
trailing  the  wrong  man,  because  I  don't  owe  anybody 
money.  We'll  put  you  up  to-night,  and  you  can  look  for 
him  to-morrow." 

"  I  have  come  from  Carnaby,  England,"  said  Deringham, 
watching  the  effect  upon  the  man.  "  You  are,  I  presume 
the  grandson  of  its  late  owner." 

This  shot  got  home,  but  the  effect  was  not  altogether 
what  Deringham  had  anticipated,  for  Alton's  big  hands 
tightened  on  the  axe  and  his  face  grew  very  stern.  "  I'm 
not  proud  of  the  connection,  anyway,"  he  said.  "  Alton 
of  Somasco  is  good  enough  for  me." 
-  "  But,"  said  Deringham  quietly,  "  I  have  come  to  talk 
things  over  with  you.  Tristan  Alton  left  you  Carnaby." 

Alton  straightened  himself  a  little  and  flung  out  an  arm, 
while  Deringham  recognized  the  Alton  pride  as  with  a 

51 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

sweeping  gesture  he  pointed  to  wide  lake,  forest-shrouded 
hillside,  and  the  clearing  in  the  valley. 

"  He  turned  out  my  father  because  he  knew  his  mind, 
and  now  when  there  is  no  one  else  leaves  me  the  played-out 
property.  Thank  God,  I  don't  want  it,  while  that's  all 
mine,"  he  said.  "  What  brings  you  here  to  talk  of 
Carnaby  ?  " 

Deringham  smiled  a  little.  "  The  executor  sent  me,  and 
I  have  come  a  long  way,"  said  he.  "  When  I  tell  you  that 
I  am  Ralph  Deringham  you  should  know  me." 

Alton  nodded  gravely.  "  Then  you  can  tell  me  all  about 
it  after  supper,  and  we'll  have  plenty  time  for  talking, 
because  you'll  stay  a  while  with  me,"  he  said.  "  If  you'll  go 
back  to  the  house  you'll  find  some  cigars  that  might  please 
you  in  the  bureau.  Sorry  I  can't  come  with  you,  but  I'm 
busy.  Are  you  ready,  Tom  ?  " 

He  turned,  and  swung  up  the  axe  while  the  big  bush- 
man  swept  his  blade  aloft,  and  Deringham  watched  them 
curiously.  Alton  swayed  with  a  steely  suppleness  from  the 
waist,  and  the  broad  wedge  of  steel  flashed  about  his  head 
before  it  came  down  ringing.  The  man  had  a  few  inches  of 
springy  wood  which  bent  and  heaved  beneath  him  to  stand 
upon,  but  the  great  blade  descended  exactly  where  the  last 
chip  had  lain,  and  when  it  hissed  aloft  again  that  of  the 
silent  axeman  dropped  into  the  notch  it  made.  Deringham 
knew  a  little  about  a  good  many  things,  including  sword- 
play,  and  he  realized  as  he  watched  the  whirl  and  flash  of 
blades,  precision  of  effort,  and  exactitude  of  time,  that  this 
was  an  example  of  man's  mastery  over  the  trenchant  steel. 

Presently  the  man  with  the  saw  rose  and  touched  his 
shoulder.  "  I  fancy  we  had  better  draw  aside  a  little," 
he  said.  "  She  will  come  down  in  another  minute  just 
here." 

Now  Deringham  had  seen  trees  wedged  over  and  drawn 
down  by  ropes  in  England,  and  wondered  a  little  when  the 
man  pointed  to  the  spot  where  he  was  standing. 

"  If  you  don't  resent  the  question,  how  do  you  know  ?  " 
he  said. 

The  other  man  laughed  a  little.  "  Harry  told  me,  and 
he's  seldom  more  than  a  foot  out,"  he  said. 


THE   HEIR  OF   CARNABY 

There  was  a  groaning  of  fibres  as  Deringham  drew  aside, 
but  the  two  figures  on  the  springy  planks  still  smote  and 
swung,  until  simultaneously  they  flung  the  axes  down  and 
sprang.  Then  the  great  fir  quivered  a  little,  toppled, 
lurched,  and  fell,  and  the  hillside  resounded  to  the  thud  it 
made.  It  also  smote  the  trembling  soil  just  where  the  man 
with  the  saw  had  indicated.  Then  Alton  signed  to  his 
assistant,  and  strode  away  with  the  axe  on  his  shoulder 
towards  another  tree.  The  saw-sharpener  laughed  a  little 
as  he  sat  down  again. 

"  Now  you  have  had  your  say  it  would  be  better  if  you 
waited  until  after  supper,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  one  thing 
at  one  time  is  quite  enough  for  Harry,  and  he  really  isn't 
in  the  least  uncivil  when  you  understand  him.  Still,  it's  no 
use  trying  to  make  him  listen  when  he  doesn't  want  to." 

"That,"  said  Deringham  dryly,  "was  always  one  of  the 
characteristics  of  his  family.  You  are  presumably  an 
Englishman  ?  " 

The  other  man  laughed  a  little.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  I'm 
Charles  Seaforth,  better  known  to  the  boys  here  as  the 
Honourable  Charley,  though  I  have  no  especial  right  to  the 
title,  and  am  fortunate  in  holding  a  small  share  in  the 
Somasco  ranch,  which  I  owe  to  my  partner's  generosity." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  he  gave  it  you  ?  "  said  Deringham. 

Seaforth  nodded.  "  You  would  be  near  the  mark  if  you 
came  to  that  conclusion." 

"  And  is  Mr.  Alton  in  the  habit  of  making  similar  pres- 
ents ?  "  said  Deringham. 

Seaforth  glanced  towards  the  sinewy  figure  with  the 
glinting  axe,  and  smiled  again.  "  That,"  he  said  quietly, 
"  is  one  of  the  most  generous  men  in  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  but  I  should  not  care  to  be  the  man  who  attempted 
to  take  advantage  of  him." 

Deringham  said  nothing  further,  though  he  was  sensible 
of  a  slight  uneasiness,  and  presently  went  back  to  the  house 
to  rejoin  his  daughter,  while  the  dusk  was  creeping  across 
the  valley  when  the  men  from  the  sawmill  and  clearing  came 
home,  and  Deringham  led  his  daughter  out  when  he  heard 
Alton's  voice  in  the  verandah.  The  latter  and  his  partner 
were  together,  and  the  girl  at  first  felt  a  slight  sense  of 

53 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

relief  as  her  glance  fell  upon  Seaforth,  who  stood  with 
his  wide  hat  in  his  hand.  He  was,  for  that  country,  some- 
what fastidious  in  dress,  his  eyes  were  mildly  humorous,  and 
his  face  was  pleasant,  while  he  had  not  as  yet  wholly  lost 
the  stamp  of  the  graceful  idler  he  had  brought  with  him 
from  England. 

"  This,"  said  Deringham  with  the  faintest  trace  of  irony, 
"  is  our  kinsman,  Mr.  Henry  Alton  of  Carnaby.  You  have 
seen  him  already.  My  daughter  Alice,  Mr.  Alton !  " 

The  girl  stood  still  a  moment,  and  glanced  at  Seaforth, 
whom  she  could  not  recollect  having  seen  before,  with  some- 
thing that  suggested  not  altogether  unpleased  surprise  in 
her  face.  His  appearance  and  attitude  disarmed  her,  but 
as  she  was  about  to  speak  to  him  the  other  man  moved  so 
that  the  fading  light  fell  full  upon  him.  He  stood,  tall  and 
almost  statuesque  in  his  torn  overalls,  with  the  misty  pines 
rolling  up  the  hillside  behind  him,  and  a  big  axe  in  his 
hand — a  type,  it  seemed  to  her,  of  Western  barbarity — and 
a  red  spot,  faint  but  perceptible,  rose  into  her  cheeks  as  he 
bent  his  head.  Then  she  came  near  forgetting  what  was 
due  to  both  of  them  in  her  astonishment  and  anger. 

"  You !  "  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  axeman  gravely.  "  Still,  your  father 
made  a  little  mistake.  I'm  Alton  of  Somasco." 

Then  he  turned  and  moved  forward  with  a  gesture  that 
was  almost  courtly.  "  You  are  very  welcome  to  this  poor 
house  of  mine,"  he  said. 


54 


CHAPTER  VI 

MISS  DERINGHAM    MAKES  FRIENDS 

THE  Homeric  supper  was  over,  and  Miss  Deringham, 
who,  sitting  next  to  Alton  at  the  head  of  the  long  table,  had 
watched  the  stalwart  axemen  feed  with  sensations  divided 
between  disgust  and  wonder,  was  talking  to  Seaforth  on 
the  verandah,  when  her  father  sat  by  a  window  of  the  room 
his  kinsman  called  his  own.  There  were  survey  maps, 
tassels  of  oats,  and  a  great  Wapiti  head  upon  the  wall,  while 
Alton  himself  lay  almost  full  length  in  a  deerhide  chair. 
The  window  was  open  wide,  and  the  vista  of  lake,  pine- 
shrouded  hillside,  and  snow,  framed  by  its  log  casing, 
steeped  in  nocturnal  harmonies  of  silver  and  blue.  Out  of 
the  stillness  came  the  scent  of  balsam,  and  the  sighing  of  a 
little  breeze  amidst  the  pines. 

Deringham  held  a  good  cigar,  and  there  was  a  cup  of 
coffee  beside  him,  while  he  was  not  wholly  sorry  that  they 
sat  in  darkness.  He  had  realized  that  Alton  of  Somasco 
was  by  no  means  a  fool,  and  waited  his  questions  with  some 
anxiety.  The  rancher,  however,  had  apparently  no  present 
intention  of  asking  any. 

"  So  they've  been  wondering  when  I  am  coming  over,"  he 
said  reflectively.  "  I  don't  know  that  I'll  come  at  all." 

Deringham  looked  down  at  his  cigar  to  cover  his 
astonishment.  "  But  you  are  an  Alton  of  Carnaby,"  he 
said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  slowly.  "  But  that  is  one  of  the  things 
I  want  to  forget.  You  see  they  drove  my  father  out  because 
he  had  the  grit  to  marry  the  woman  who  loved  him  instead 
of  another  one  who  had  the  money,  but  you  know  all  that  ?  " 

Deringham  nodded,  and  Alton's  face  showed  grim  in  the 
moonlight  as  he  continued :  "  But  what  you  don't  know  is 
how  he  fought  his  way  uphill  in  this  country,  and  what  my 

55 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

mother  suffered  helping  him.  Oh,  yes,  I  can  remember  her 
well,  gentle,  brave,  and  patient  as  she  was,  and  know  what 
it  must  have  cost  her  to  camp  down  alone  in  the  bush,  and 
fight  through  the  hard  winter  In  the  ice  and  snow.  Well, 
she  was  too  good  for  this  world,  and  she  just  faded  out  of 
it  before  the  good  time  came.  I  think  they  must  have  a 
special  place  for  women  of  her  kind  in  the  other  one." 

Deringham  only  nodded  again,  because  this  type  of  man 
was  new  to  him,  and  he  had  learned  to  keep  silent  when  in 
doubt;  but  Alton's  big  right  hand  closed  into  a  fist. 

"  And  now,  when  I  have  Somasco,  the  man  who  had  not 
a  dollar  for  his  only  son  leaves  me  Carnaby,"  he  said. 
"  There.  Look  out  and  see.  Timber,  lake  and  clearing, 
cattle,  mills,  and  crops,  the  finest  ranch  in  the  district.  My 
father  commenced  it,  and  I  have  finished.  The  Almighty 
made  him  a  man,  and  he  wouldn't  sell  his  birthright  to  loaf 
his  days  away,  overfed,  at  Carnaby." 

Alton  dropped  his  cigar,  and  laughed  a  little.  "  Well, 
I'm  talking  like  a  fool  again.  There  are  times  when  I 
can't  help  it.  It's  a  way  of  mine." 

Deringham  sat  still  smoking,  and  thinking  rapidly.  He 
had  never  had  dealings  with  a  man  of  this  description 
before,  but  while  he  surmised  that  Alton  of  Somasco  might 
under  some  conditions  prove  himself  a  headstrong  fool,  it 
was  evident  that  there  were  limits  to  his  folly.  The  man's 
handiwork  spoke  for  him,  and  his  energy  and  intentness 
had  not  escaped  Deringham's  attentions,  while  the  occasional 
utterances  that  might  have  appeared  bombastic  coming 
from  other  men  were  redeemed  in  his  case  by  the  tone 
of  naive  sincerity  and  imperious  ring.  Deringham  was 
becoming  conscious  of  a  vague  respect  for  and  fear  of  his 
companion. 

"  We  are  apparently  no  nearer  the  answer  to  my  ques- 
tion," he  said  at  length. 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  smiling.  "  This  thing  will  take  some 
thinking  over.  Carnaby  isn't  exactly  what  you  call  a  rich 
property  ?  " 

"  It  is  heavily  encumbered,"  said  Deringham,  almost  too 
eagerly. 

Alton  nodded.     "  Still,  it  must  be  worth  a  little,  and 

56 


ALICE   MAKES   FRIENDS 

would  give  the  folks  who  lived  there  a  standing  in  the  old 
country  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham  thoughtfully,  and  was  once  more 
astonished  by  his  companion's  answer. 

"  Well,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  was  thinking  about  your 
daughter.  All  this,  it  seems  to  me,  is  mighty  rough  on  her. 
It  would  hurt  her  to  be  turned  out  of  Carnaby  ?  " 

"  Isn't  that  beside  the  question  ?  "  said  Deringham  with 
a  trace  of  stiffness. 

Alton  took  up  another  cigar  and  lighted  it.  "  I  don't 
quite  know  that  it  is,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  I  remember  a 
good  deal  what  my  mother  had  to  put  up  with,  and  it  has 
made  me  kind  of  sorry  for  women  who  have  to  do  without 
the  things  they  have  been  used  to.  Now  Miss  Deringham 
has  had  a  pretty  good  time  in  the  old  country  ?  " 

Deringham  moved  his  head  very  slightly.  "  I  scarcely 
think  we  need  go  into  that,  but  it  is  incontrovertible  that 
the  loss  of  Carnaby  would  make  a  difference  to  her,"  he 
said. 

Alton  sat  silent  a  space,  and  then  while  Deringham  won- 
dered, smiled  a  little.  "  And  she  might  have  kept  it  but 
for  a  very  little  thing  that  happened  a  month  or  two  ago," 
he  said.  "  If  the  juniper-twigs  had  broken  it  would  have 
saved  considerable  trouble  to  everybody.  I  was  back  there 
in  the  mountains  looking  for  a  silver  lead,  you  see." 

"  Silver  mines  are,  I  understand,  not  always  profitable  to 
the  man  who  finds  them,  and  I  should  have  fancied  you  had 
already  sufficient  scope  for  your  energies,"  said  Dering- 
ham dryly. 

Alton  laughed,  but  there  was  a  trace  of  grimness  in  hi£ 
voice.  "  If  I  once  get  my  stakes  in  on  the  lead  this  one's 
going  to  be,  and  if  I  could  get  the  dollars  I  could  do  a 
good  deal  for  Somasco,"  he  said.  "  We  want  roads  and 
mills,  the  biggest  orchard  in  the  province,  and  a  fruit  can- 
nery, and  we're  going  to  have  them  presently.  That's  why 
I  wanted  the  silver." 

"  You  did  not  find  it  then  ?  "  said  Deringham,  who  was 
not  unwilling  to  follow  his  companion  from  the  former 
topic. 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  not  that  time,  but  I  will  by  and  by. 

57 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Well,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  snow  up  in  the  ranges, 
and  my  feet  got  away  from  me  one  evening  when  we  were 
crawling  along  the  edge  of  a  gully.  There  was  a  river  and 
big  boulders  some  five  hundred  feet  below,  and  I  slipped 
down,  clawing  at  the  snow,  until  I  grabbed  a  little  bunch  of 
juniper  ju  t  on  the  edge.  Part  of  it  tore  up,  but  I  got  a 
grip  of  a  better  handful,  and  hung  on  to  it,  with  most  of  me 
swinging  over  the  gully.  Charley  was  stripping  off  the 
pack-rope  on  the  slope  above,  and  he  was  mighty  quick, 
but  I  knew  that  bush  was  coming  away  with  me,  and  didn't 
think  he  could  be  fast  enough.  I  didn't  feel  exactly  happy, 
but  while  I've  read  that  folks  think  of  some  astonishing 
things  when  they're  starting  out  on  the  long  trail,  it  wasn't 
that  way  with  me.  I  could  only  remember  there  was  a 
man  I'd  never  got  even  with  who'd  badly  cheated  me." 

Deringham  felt  a  little  shiver  run  through  him,  for  there 
was  a  grim  vindictiveness  in  the  speaker's  tone,  and  he  felt 
that  Alton  of  Somasco  would  not  lightly  forgive  an  injury. 

"  You  managed  to  crawl  up  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton  simply,  "  I  didn't.  I  lay  there  watching 
Charley,  and  felt  the  bush  drawing  out,  until  the  rope  came 
down  and  Charley  hauled  me  up.  It  would  have  made  a 
big  difference  to  Miss  Deringham  if  he'd  been  a  second  or 
two  longer.  Well,  we'll  have  lots  of  time  for  talking,  be- 
cause you're  out  for  your  health,  and  we'll  keep  you  right 
here  until  we  see  what  Somasco  can  do  for  you,  and  just 
now  I  see  Miss  Deringham  alone  on  the  verandah." 

He  rose,  and  left  Deringham  sitting  by  the  window. 
The  moon  had  swung  higher  now,  and  the  lake  was  a  blaze 
of  silver,  but  Deringham  scarcely  noticed  it  or  the  ethereal 
line  of  snow.  In  place  of  it  he  saw  a  shadowy  figure  hang- 
ing between  earth  and  heaven  with  tense  fingers  gripping 
a  little  bush,  while  a  river  frothed  down  the  black  hollow 
five  hundred  feet  below,  and  remembered  that  even  in  that 
moment  the  man  who  hung  there  regretted  he  could  not 
repay  somebody  who  had  cheated  him.  Then  he  rose  and 
moved  once  or  twice  up  and  down  the  room,  his  fancy  still 
dwelling  upon  the  picture.  If  the  juniper-twigs  had  yielded 
it  would  have  made  a  great  difference  to  him  as  well  as  his 
daughter.  He  sat  down  again  presently  and  stared  at  the 

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"THERE    WAS    A    RIVER     AND    BIG      BOULDERS    SOME    FIVE 
HUNDRED   FEET   BELOW." — Page  58. 


ALICE   MAKES   FRIENDS 

valley,  seeing  nothing  as  he  remembered  that  Alton  of 
Somasco  might  go  back  to  the  ranges  again,  and  then  with 
an  effort  shook  the  fancies  from  him.  They  were  not 
wholesome  for  a  man  hemmed  in  by  difficulties  as  he  was 
then. 

In  the  meanwhile  his  daughter  stood  with  one  hand  on 
the  verandah  balustrade,  listening  to  the  song  of  the  river 
which  came  sonorously  through  the  shadows  of  the  bush. 
She  also  breathed  in  the  scent  of  the  firs,  and  found  it 
pleasant,  but  it  was  instinctively  she  did  so,  for  her  thoughts 
were  also  busy.  Alice  Deringham  had  noticed  her  father's 
fits  of  abstraction  as  well  as  the  anxiety  in  his  face,  and  had 
no  great  difficulty  in  connecting  them  with  the  loss  of 
Carnaby.  She  was  also  fond  of  him,  for  Deringham  had 
shown  only  his  better  side  to  her,  and  sensible  of  a  very 
bitter  feeling  towards  the  man  who  had  supplanted  him. 
In  addition  to  this,  she  remembered  the  faint  amusement 
in  his  eyes  when  he  noticed  the  glint  of  a  silver  coin  she 
held  half-covered  in  her  hand,  and  her  pulses  throbbed  a 
little  faster.  The  man  had  placed  her  in  a  ridiculous 
position,  and  had  he  guessed  her  feelings  towards  him  he 
would  probably  not  have  made  his  appearance  as  he  did 
just  then. 

The  boards  creaked  behind  her,  and  turning  partly  round 
she  straightened  herself  with  a  slow  sinuous  gracefulness, 
and  stood  drawn  up  to  her  full  height  looking  at  the  new- 
comer. He  stood  still  a  moment  with  veiled  admiration  in 
his  eyes,  and  this  was  not  altogether  surprising  in  one  who 
had  dwelt  for  the  most  part  far  remote  from  civilization  in 
the  lonely  bush.  Alice  Deringham  had  been  considered 
somewhat  of  a  beauty  in  London,  and  it  was  possible  that 
she  knew  the  pale  moonlight  and  the  harmonies  of  blue 
and  silver  she  stood  out  against  enhanced  the  symmetry  of 
her  outline.  The  man  stood  watching  her  with  his  head 
bent  a  trifle,  but  Miss  Deringham  evinced  a  fine  indiffer- 
ence. She  had  formed  a  somewhat  mistaken  estimate  of 
him  already. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I'm  sorry,"  he  said. 

The  girl  fancied  she  understood  him,  and  it  increased  her 
anger,  for  the  fact  that  this  barbarian  of  the  bush  should 

59 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

venture  to  express  pity  for  her  was  galling.  Still,  she  had 
no  intention  of  admitting  it,  and  regarded  him  inquiringly 
with  a  half-contemptuous  indifference  which  she  had  found 
especially  effective  with  presumptuous  young  men  in  Eng- 
land. Somewhat  to  her  astonishment  it  apparently  had  no 
result  at  all,  for  Alton  returned  her  gaze  gravely  and  with- 
out embarrassment. 

"  I  don't  understand,"  she  said. 

"  I  was  hoping  you  would,  because  I  felt  I  must  tell  you, 
and  I'm  not  good  at  talking,"  said  the  man.  "  I  can't  help 
seeing  that  you  are  vexed  with  me." 

If  Alton  had  intended  to  be  conciliatory  he  had  signally 
failed,  because  Miss  Deringham  had  no  intention  of  ad- 
mitting that  anything  he  could  do  would  cause  her  anger. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  taking  things  for  granted,"  she 
said. 

Alton  smiled  gravely,  and  the  girl  noticed  that  he  ac- 
cepted the  onus  of  the  explanation  she  had  forced  upon 
him. 

"  I  really  don't  think  you  should  be,"  he  said.  "  I  can't 
help  being  Tristan  Alton's  grandson,  you  see,  and  we  are 
some  kind  of  relations  and  ought  to  be  friendly." 

Miss  Deringham  laughed  a  little.  "  Relations  do  not 
always  love  each  other  very  much,"  said  she. 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  Still,  I  think  they  should,  and,  even 
if  it  hurts,  I  feel  I've  got  to  tell  you  I'm  sorry.  If  you 
would  only  take  it,  it  would  please  me  to  give  you  back 
Carnaby." 

The  girl  almost  gasped  with  astonishment  and  indigna- 
tion. "  That  is  a  trifle  unnecessary,  since  you  know  it  is 
perfectly  impossible,"  she  said. 

She  had  at  last  roused  the  man,  for  the  moonlight  showed 
a  darker  colour  creeping  into  his  tan.  "  I  don't  usually 
say  more  than  I  mean,"  he  said.  "  Now  we  shall  never 
understand  each  other  unless  you  will  talk  quite  straight 
with  me." 

Alice  Deringham  had  not  lost  her  discretion  in  her  anger, 
and,  since  there  was  no  avoiding  the  issue,  decided  it  would 
be  preferable  to  blame  him  for  the  lesser  of  his  offences. 

"  Then/'  she  said  coldly,  "  it  was  somewhat  difficult  to 

60 


ALICE   MAKES   FRIENDS 

appreciate  the  humour  of  the  trick  you  played  upon  us. 
You  may,  however,  have  different  notions  as  to  what  is 
tasteful  in  the  Colonies." 

Again  the  darker  colour  showed  in  Alton's  bronzed 
forehead,  but  he  spoke  gravely.  "  I  don't  think  that's  quite 
fair,"  he  said.  "  I  am  what  the  Almighty  made  me,  a  plain 
bushman  who  has  had  to  work  too  hard  for  his  living  to 
learn  to  put  things  nicely,  but  I  never  came  down  to  any 
meanness  that  would  hurt  a  woman,  and  there  isn't  any 
need  for  a  dainty  English  lady  to  point  out  the  difference 
between  herself  and  me." 

"  There  may  be  less  difference  than  you  seem  to  fancy," 
said  the  girl  a  trifle  maliciously.  "  You  are  Alton  of 
Carnaby." 

"  Pshaw !  "  said  the  man  with  a  little  gesture  of  pride  and 
impatience,  which  Miss  Deringham  was  forced  to  admit 
became  him.  "  I'm  Alton  of  Somasco,  and  nobody  gave  it 
me.  I  won  it  from  the  lake  and  the  forest  that  comes 
crawling  in  again — but  I'm  getting  off  the  trail.  I  didn't 
know  your  father  was  coming  here,  and  hadn't  any  notion 
who  you  were." 

"  That's  curious,  because  he  wrote  to  tell  you,"  said  the 
girl. 

Alton  flushed  a  little,  for  he  was  somewhat  quick- 
tempered, and  too  proud  to  be  otherwise  than  a  veracious 
man.  "  Well,"  he  said  slowly,  "  I  have  the  honour  of  tell- 
ing you  I  didn't  get  the  letter.  There's  a  place  called 
Somasco  down  in  Vancouver." 

Miss  Deringham  decided  that  she  had  ventured  suffic- 
iently far.  Indeed,  on  subsequent  reflection  she  was  forced 
to  admit  that  she  had  gone  farther  than  was  quite  seemly, 
which  somewhat  naturally  increased  her  displeasure  against 
the  man.  In  the  meanwhile  she,  however,  made  a  little 
gracious  gesture.  "  Then  I  don't  think  the  explanation  was 
necessary,"  she  said. 

Alton  laughed  a  little,  and  held  out  his  hand.  "  Do  you 
know  I'm  thankful  that's  over  once  for  all,  and  now  we  can 
be  friends,"  he  said.  "  There  are  lots  of  things  I  can  show 
you  in  the  valley,  and  a  good  deal  more  that  you  can 
teach  me." 

61 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

Alice  Deringham  could  not  afterwards  quite  decide  why 
she  shook  hands  with  him,  for  she  had  no  intention  of 
teaching  him  anything,  just  then;  but  she  did,  and  felt  as 
the  hard  brown  fingers  closed  upon  her  own  that  the  friend- 
ship of  this  curious  man  could  in  time  of  necessity  be  relied 
upon.  In  any  case,  and  obeying  some  impulse,  she  shook 
off  her  chilliness,  and  asking  questions  about  the  district 
evinced  a  gracious  interest  in  all  he  had  to  tell  her,  while 
presently  induced  by  his  naive  frankness  she  smiled  at  him 
as  she  noticed  him  regarding  her  gravely. 

"  I  presume  a  dress  of  this  kind  is  scarcely  suitable  for 
the  bush,"  she  said. 

Alton  laughed.  "  I  wasn't  looking  at  the  dress,  though 
it's  a  very  pretty  one,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  except  my 
mother  and  Miss  Townshead,  I  have  never  spoken  to  an 
English  lady." 

"  But  you  must  have  been  very  young  when  you  lost 
her,"  said  the  girl. 

Alton  took  off  his  hat,  and  pointed  to  a  hillside  shrouded 
with  sombre  firs.  "  Yes,"  he  said  quietly.  "  She  sleeps  up 
there,  and  in  a  little  while  my  father  followed  her.  He 
was  lonely  without  her,  and  because  of  what  she  had  done 
for  him,  proud  of  his  countrywomen.  He  often  used  to 
talk  about  them." 

"  And,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  "  you  wondered  if  he  was 
mistaken  ?  " 

Alton  made  a  little  gesture  that  in  a  curious  fashion 
implied  a  wide  chivalric  faith.  "  No,"  he  said  gravely,  "  I 
believe  he  was  right." 

Miss  Deringham  felt  a  faint  warmth  creep  into  her  cheek, 
and  it  was  not  because  the  speech  might  have  been  deemed 
a  personal  compliment.  She  saw  a  little  deeper  into  the 
man's  nature  than  that,  and,  if  she  had  not,  the  tone  of 
grave  respect  would  have  enlightened  her.  Then  she  turned 
with  a  little  sense  of  relief  as  Deringham  came  out  upon 
the  verandah. 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  you  and  Mr.  Alton  have  made 
friends,"  he  said,  and  the  girl,  who  noticed  a  faint  twinkle  in 
his  eyes,  turned  quietly  and  looked  down  the  valley  as  she 
remembered  one  odious  clause  in  the  will. 

62 


ALICE   MAKES   FRIENDS 

She  rose  early  next  morning,  and  flinging  the  window 
open  to  let  in  the  glorious  freshness  heard  a  commotion 
below,  while  as  she  wondered  as  to  the  cause  of  it  several 
pairs  of  old  boots  went  gyrating  over  the  balustrade  of  the 
verandah.  A  dilapidated  saddle  followed  them,  and  then 
a  cloud  of  dust  rolled  up,  while  she  saw  the  new  owner  of 
Carnaby  appear  somewhat  scantily  attired  out  of  the  midst 
of  it.  He  had  a  brush  in  one  hand  and  seemed  disturbed 
about  something. 

"  Where  the  brimstone  does  Mrs.  Margery  keep  the  scrub- 
bing soap  ?  "  he  said. 

Nobody  answered  him,  and  he  moved  back  into  the  dust, 
while  Seaforth  was  coming  up  the  stairway  carrying  a 
mop  and  pail  when  a  big  empty  oilcan  smote  him  upon 
the  chest.  He  dropped  the  pail  and  leaned  a  moment,  gasp- 
ing and  dripping,  against  the  balustrade. 

"  You  might  notice  where  you're  throwing  things,"  he 
said. 

The  dust  rolled  more  thickly,  and  Alton's  voice  came 
out  of  it.  "  I  hadn't  time  to  be  particular,  and  a  sensible 
man  would  have  got  out  of  the  way  of  it.  Don't  stand 
there,  anyway,  but  help  me  fix  this  place  fit  for  a  lady  be- 
fore Miss  Deringham  gets  up.  Then  you're  going  through 
to  the  railroad  with  the  new  pack-horse  to  wire  for  Mrs. 
Margery  after  breakfast." 

"  I  don't  think  I  am,"  said  Seaforth.  "  Not  on  Julius 
Caesar,  anyway.  He  will  need  a  little  more  taming  before 
I'm  fit  to  ride  him." 

"  Then,"  said  Alton,  laughing,  "  I  guess  you  can  shove 
him,  because  you'll  want  a  horse  to  bring  up  the  things 
you're  going  to  wire  Vancouver  for,  and  Tom's  off  with 
the  teams  up  the  valley.  Fetch  some  more  water,  and 
start  in  with  the  scrubbing.  I  don't  want  Miss  Dering- 
ham to  guess  we've  been  doing  anything  unusual." 

"  If  she  doesn't  hear  you,"  said  Seaforth,  "  she  must  be 
very  deaf." 

"  Now,"  said  Alton  regretfully,  "  I  never  thought  of 
that.  Sit  right  down,  Charley,  and  take  your  boots  off." 

"  I  am  going  to  the  well  first,"  said  Seaforth,  who  re- 
tired grinning,  and  Miss  Deringham  laughed  softly  as 

63 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

she  heard  the  cautious  movements  of  a  big  barefooted  man 
floundering  about  clumsily  with  a  brush  or  mop. 

When  she  came  down  to  breakfast,  however,  she  was  a 
little  astonished.  The  room  was  swept,  and  garnished  with 
cedar  sprays,  while  though  it  smelled  of  some  crude  soap 
the  aromatic  sweetness  of  balsam  was  present  too,  and 
there  were  signs  of  taste  in  its  decoration  and  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  splendid  fruit  upon  the  table.  Alton  had  not 
plucked  it  all,  and  the  golden  apples  and  velvety  peaches 
lay  with  their  soft  tinting  enhanced  amidst  the  leaves. 
When  he  came  in,  bright  of  eye  and  apparently  glowing 
from  a  plunge  in  the  river,  she  glanced  at  him  with  quiet 
amusement. 

"  You  have  been  improving  the  place  wonderfully,"  she 
said. 

"You  are  pleased  with  it?"  said  the  rancher,  and  the 
girl  noticed  the  contentment  in  his  eyes  when  she  smiled 
approvingly. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  "  it  is  very  pretty." 


64 


CHAPTER  VII 

ALTON    BLUNDERS 

DERINGHAM  spent  several  weeks  at  Somasco  without 
arriving  at  any  understanding  with  its  owner.  This, 
however,  did  not  cause  him  any  great  concern,  because  he 
had  at  his  doctor's  recommendation  decided  on  a  some- 
what lengthy  absence  from  England,  and  found  himself 
regaining  health  and  vigour  with  every  day  he  passed  in 
the  pleasant  valley.  He  was  also  desirous  of  gaining  time, 
because  he  had  left  negotiations  for  the  formation  of  a 
company  to  take  over  an  enterprise  he  was  interested  in  in 
train,  and,  while  these  could  proceed  as  well  without  him, 
a  favourable  termination  would,  by  relieving  him  from 
immediate  financial  anxiety,  enable  him  if  it  seemed  ad- 
visable to  adopt  a  firmer  tone  in  any  discussion  respecting 
Carnaby.  Alton  had  in  the  meanwhile  quietly  avoided  the 
subject. 

Affairs  were  in  this  position  when  he  sat  one  evening 
with  his  daughter  on  the  verandah,  glancing  now  and  then 
down  the  valley.  It  was  very  still  and  peaceful,  and  trails 
of  white  mist  crept  about  the  pines,  while,  though  the  paling 
light  still  lingered  high  up  upon  the  snow,  a  crescent  moon 
was  growing  into  visibility  against  the  steely  blueness 
behind  the  eastern  shoulder  of  a  hill.  Deringham,  however, 
was  listening  for  the  thud  of  hoofs,  and  wondering  if  the 
mounted  man  sent  down  to  the  settlement  would  bring  any 
letters  for  him.  His  daughter  sat  close  by  him,  dreamily 
watching  the  darkness  roll  higher  about  the  pines.  She 
had  not  as  yet  grown  tired  of  Somasco,  and  found  its  owner 
an  interesting  study.  He  was  of  a  type  that  was  new  to 
her,  and  the  girl  of  a  somewhat  inquiring  disposition. 

Presently  she  turned  to  her  father.  "  How  long  shall  we 
stay  here  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Deringham.    "  It  depends  upon  the 

65 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Canadian,  and  in  the  meanwhile  I  am  picking  up  a  good 
deal  of  useful  information  about  the  mineral  resources  of 
this  country.  Alton  of  Somasco  seems  to  be  a  somewhat 
intelligent  man." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl  thoughtfully.  "  It  Is  a  little  difficult 
to  dislike  him." 

"  I,"  said  her  father,  smiling,  "  do  not  know  that  there  is 
any  great  necessity,  or  notice  signs  of  a  marked  endeavour 
on  your  part  to  do  so." 

The  girl  glanced  at  him  inquiringly.  "  You  mean  ? " 
said  she. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Deringham.  "  Only  the  Canadian  is 
also  a  man.  Well,  we  shall  be  going  on  to  Vancouver 
presently." 

The  girl  laughed  a  little.  "  That  is  incontrovertible,"  she 
said.  "  Why  not  go  on  now  ?  " 

"  There  are  reasons,"  said  Deringham  somewhat  gravely. 
"  For  one  thing  I  hope  to  be  in  a  position  shortly  to  make 
terms  with  him." 

"  But  Carnaby  is  his,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham,  "  unless  he  gives  it  up." 

His  daughter  appeared  thoughtful.  "  I  scarcely  think  he 
will ! " 

Deringham  laughed  a  little.  "  It  might  be  possible  to 
find  means  of  inducing  him." 

Alice  Deringham  shook  her  head.  "  From  what  I  have 
seen  of  Mr.  Alton,  I  fancy  it  would  be  difficult." 

"  Well,"  said  Deringham  dryly,  "  we  shall  see." 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  a  soft  drumming  sound 
came  out  of  the  stillness.  It  grew  steadily  louder,  was  lost 
in  the  roar  of  the  river,  and  rose  more  distinct  again,  while 
the  girl,  who  realized  that  a  man  was  riding  up  the  valley, 
wondered  with  unusual  curiosity  what  news  he  would  bring. 
She  also  grew  impatient,  for  that  staccato  drumming  seemed 
to  jar  upon  the  harmonies  of  the  evening,  and  she  walked 
to  the  balustrade  when  the  sound  swelled  into  a  thudding 
beat  of  hoofs.  The  man  was  crossing  the  oatfield  at  a 
gallop  now.  Then  the  sound  rose  muffled  out  of  the  gloom 
of  the  orchard  the  trail  ran  through,  and  she  felt  curiously 
expectant  when  once  more  the  rider  swung  out  into  the 

66 


ALTON  BLUNDERS 

shadowy  clearing.  She  afterwards  remembered  the  vague 
apprehension  with  which  she  watched  and  listened,  for  it. 
seemed  to  her  that  some  intangible  peril  was  drawing  nearer 
with  the  galloping  horse.  A  minute  or  two  later  Seaforth 
came  into  the  verandah  with  a  packet  of  letters  in  his 
hand. 

"  There  are  several  for  you,  sir,"  he  said,  handing 
Deringham  some  of  them,  and  passed  into  the  house 
shouting,  "  Harry." 

Deringham  glanced  through  his  budget,  and  his  face 
changed  a  little,  while  his  daughter  noticed  the  set  of  his 
lips  and  the  clustering  wrinkles  about  his  eyes.  There  was 
a  telegraphic  message,  but  he  put  it  aside  and  opened  a 
bulky  envelope  whose  stamp  he  recognized.  Then  the 
missive  he  took  out  rustled  a  little  in  his  hand  as  he 
read: 

"  I'm  afraid  negotiations  are  not  progressing  well. 
Mortimer,  as  you  will  see  by  enclosed  copies  of  corre- 
spondence, demands  a  revaluation  which  would  not  be 
advisable  before  he  will  underwrite  any  of  the  capital." 

Deringham  laid  down  the  letter,  and  his  daughter  turned 
suddenly  at  his  exclamation.  "  The  fools  should  have 
bought  him  off !  "  he  said. 

Then  he  took  up  the  telegraphic  message  and  read, 
"  Scheme  impracticable.  Cannot  compromise  with  Mor- 
timer. Harper  and  the  Syndicate  against  us.  Details 
following." 

Deringham  said  nothing,  but  sat  staring  before  him  with 
a  face  that  seemed  to  have  grown  suddenly  grey  and 
haggard,  until  his  daughter  spoke  to  him. 

"  Have  you  had  bad  news,  father  ?  "  she  said. 

The  man,  who  had  been  sitting  so  that  the  light  which 
shone  out  from  the  room  behind  them  fell  upon  him, 
moved.  "  I  have,"  he  said.  "  This  message  informs  me 
that  at  least  ten  thousand  pounds  have  been  virtually  taken 
out  of  my  pocket.  As  it  happened,  I  wanted  the  money 
somewhat  badly." 

He  rose,  and  entering  the  house  met  Alton  coming  out 
of  it.  The  Canadian  brushed  past  him  with  a  letter  in 
his  hand,  and  Deringham  turned  a  moment  and  looked 

67 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

after  him.  The  financier's  face  was  not  pleasant  just  then, 
and  there  was  a  curious  glitter  in  his  eyes,  while  Seaforth, 
who  was  following  his  comrade,  stared  at  him  as  he  passed, 
and  came  up  with  Alton  on  the  verandah. 

"  What  has  gone  wrong  with  Deringham  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Alton  lightly.  "  Do  you  think 
anything  has  ?  " 

"  That,"  said  Seaforth,  "  is  what  I  am  asking  you.  He 
looked  condemnably  ugly  just  now.  One  could  have 
fancied  that  he  contemplated  killing  somebody." 

Alton  laughed.  "  Got  a  little  business  trip  up,  I  expect," 
he  said,  and  moved  forward  as  he  spoke.  "  Here's  word 
from  Mrs.  Jimmy.  She  wants  to  know  when  I'm  going  to 
begin.  Women  are  very  persistent,  Miss  Deringham,  but 
this  one  has  some  reason." 

"  They  usually  have,"  said  the  girl.  "  I  do  not,  however, 
know  Mrs.  Jimmy." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alton,  smiling.  "  Still,  I  expect  you'll 
see  her  up  here  presently." 

It  was  a  day  or  two  later  when  Alton  returned  to  the 
topic  of  Mrs.  Jimmy,  and  he  was  then  kneeling  in  the  stern 
of  a  canoe  which  slid  with  a  swift  smoothness  down  the 
placid  lake  as  he  dipped  the  glistening  paddle.  Miss 
Deringham  was  seated  forward  on  a  pile  of  cedar-twigs, 
with  a  wet  line  in  her  fingers,  and  in  no  way  disturbed  by 
the  fact  that  she  had  caught  nothing.  Such  expeditions 
had  become  somewhat  frequent  of  late,  and  though  the  girl 
sometimes  wondered  what  she  found  to  please  her  in  the 
company  and  conversation  of  the  bush  rancher,  the  fact 
that  she  usually  went  with  him  when  he  crossed  the  lake 
remained. 

"  I  have  seen  that  trail  of  smoke  up  there  before.  Where 
does  it  come  from  ?  "  she  said  languidly,  pointing  to  a  dis- 
tant film  of  vapour  that  drifted  in  a  faint  blue  wreath  along 
the  slope  of  a  hill. 

"  That,"  said  Alton,  "  is  the  Tyee  mine." 

"  I  have  heard  of  it.    They  find  silver  there?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  dryly.    "  They  find  a  little." 

"  There  is  silver  in  those  mountains,  then  ?  "  said  Miss 
Deringham. 

68 


ALTON   BLUNDERS 

Alton  nodded.  "Lots  of  it.  Still,  it  costs  a  good  deal 
to  get  out,  and  then  it  doesn't  pay  for  the  mining 
occasionally.  That's  the  trouble  with  the  Tyee." 

"  Still,  it  must  pay  somebody,  or  they  would  not  go  on," 
said  Miss  Deringham. 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  said  dryly.  "  It 
pays  a  man  called  Hallam  and  some  others  of  his  kind  who 
got  up  the  company.  Still,  sometime  and  somehow,  I  think 
he  will  be  sorry  he  stole  poor  folks'  money." 

"  You,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  smiling,  "  are  an  optimist, 
then?" 

Alton  gravely  glanced  about  him,  and  the  girl  fancied 
she  understood  him  as  she  followed  his  gaze  from  snow- 
peak  down  the  great  pine-shrouded  hillside  to  the  river 
frothing  in  the  valley.  "  I  don't  know,  but  one  feels  there's 
something  beyond  all  that,"  he  said.  "  It  didn't  come  there 
by  accident,  and  it  has  all  its  work  to  do.  Sun  and  frost 
and  sliding  snow  grinding  up  the  hillside  very  sure  and 
slow,  and  the  river  sweeping  what  it  gets  from  them  way 
down  the  valley  to  spread  new  wheatfields  out  into  the 
sea." 

"  But,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  smiling,  "  we  are  speaking 
of  men,  and  I  don't  quite  see  the  connection." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  they  have  their  place  in  the  great 
machine  too,  and  must  work  like  the  rest,  and  do  some- 
thing to  make  it  more  fruitful,  in  return  for  the  food  the 
good  earth  gives  them." 

"  A  good  many  men  don't  seem  to  realize  the  obligation," 
said  Miss  Deringham. 

Alton  nodded.  "  No,  but  I  can't  help  thinking  they'll 
be  dealt  with  somehow.  They're  just  stealing  from  the 
others." 

"  You  are  a  socialist,  then  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  I  don't  think  I  am.  It  seems  to 
me  that  every  man  is  entitled  to  all  the  dollars  he  can  get 
by  working  for  them  honestly,  and  there's  a  place  some- 
where in  this  great  world  for  him,  if  he  has  the  grit  to  get 
up  and  look  for  it  as  he  was  meant  to  do,  but  it  has  no  use 
for  the  man  who  wants  to  sit  still  and  think  about  his  dinner 
while  other  folks  work  for  him." 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  Still,  he  may  have  earned  the  right  to  do  so,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  grimly,  "  most  of  that  kind  I've  met 
with  seemed  to  have  stolen  it,  and  one  or  two  of  them  had, 
for  a  few  thousand  dollars,  sent  good  men  to  their  death. 
When  you've  seen  your  comrades  sickening  and  starving 
on  rotten  provisions  in  the  snow,  or  washed  out  down  the 
valley  by  the  bursting  of  a  dam  that  was  only  built  to  sell, 
you  begin  to  wonder  whether  it  would  be  wrong  to  wipe  out 
some  of  that  crowd  with  the  rifle." 

The  veins  swelled  on  his  forehead,  and  there  was  a 
smouldering  fire  in  his  eyes,  while  the  girl  suspected  he  was 
alluding  to  some  especial  member  of  the  class,  and  noticed 
that  his  eyes  seemed  to  follow  the  smoke  of  the  Tyee. 
Then  he  laughed. 

"  I  guess  I'm  talking  nonsense  again,  but  there's  a  little 
behind  it,  and  I  feel  that  you  can  pick  it  out,"  he  said. 
"  Now  I'm  not  good  at  amusing  women,  but  you  and  Mrs. 
Jimmy  seem  to  understand  me." 

"  Who  is  Mrs.  Jimmy,  and  does  her  husband  belong  to 
Somasco  ?  "  asked  the  girl,  with  a  smile. 

Alton  laid  down  the  paddle,  and  took  off  his  hat. 
"  Jimmy,"  he  said  solemnly,  "  is  dead.  He  was  my  partner, 
and  his  wife  is  a  friend  of  mine.  She  was  in  some  ways 
very  like  you." 

"They  had  a  ranch  up  here?"  said  Miss  Deringham 
languidly. 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  It  wasn't  often  they  had  ten  dollars. 
She  was  a  lady  bar-keep  down  in  Vancouver  before  she 
married  Jimmy.  He  was  a  trail-chopper  in  this  country.  I 
don't  know  what  he  was  in  the  old  one." 

"  And,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  "  Mrs.  Jimmy  resembles 
me?" 

She  regretted  it  next  moment  when  she  saw  Alton's  face. 
It  expressed  subdued  surprise,  and  the  girl  felt  irritated 
with  herself. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  gravely.  "  Human  nature's  much  the 
same  at  the  bottom,  whether  it  has  gold  on  the  top  of  it 
or  the  dints  of  the  hammer,  and  Mrs.  Jimmy  was  good  all 
through." 

70 


ALTON  BLUNDERS 

"  That,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  "  is  distinctly  pretty." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  smiling,  "  I  didn't  mean  it  that  way. 
Work  was  scarce  in  the  province,  and  I'd  lost  my  cattle 
when  Jimmy  went  up  with  me  into  the  ranges  to  look  for 
silver.  He  brought  his  wife  along,  because  he  had  no 
dollars  or  anywhere  to  leave  her,  and  it  was  a  mighty  tough 
place  for  a  woman  where  we  camped  under  the  big  glacier. 
We  stayed  right  there  most  of  the  winter.  There  was  only 
frost  and  snow,  and  the  wind  that  whirled  it  about  the 
pines,  and,  until  it  froze  up,  we  lived  a  good  deal  on  salmon 
from  the  river.  They  were  dead  when  we  got  them,  and 
some  of  them  rotten." 

Miss  Deringham  shivered.  "  And  when  the  river  froze  ?  " 
she  said. 

"Then,"  said  Alton  gravely,  "there  were  days  when  we 
lived  on  nothing,  and  worked  until  we  couldn't  hold  the 
pick  to  keep  from  thinking.  Still,  we  got  a  deer  now  and 
then,  and  we  had  a  very  little  flour.  It  was  mouldy  when 
we  bought  it,  but  we  hadn't  dollars  enough  for  anything 
better.  Mrs.  Jimmy  got  sick  and  thin,  but  she  never 
grumbled,  and  was  always  waiting  bright  and  smiling  when 
we  crawled  back  into  the  shanty.  Anyway,  we  found  no 
silver  that  would  pay  for  the  getting,  though  we  knew  it 
was  there." 

"  How  did  you  know  that  ?  "  said  Miss  Deringham. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  a  Siwash  told  us  something.  He 
crawled  in  starving  one  day,  and  though  we  hadn't  much 
over  we  fed  him.  For  another  thing  we  felt  it  in  us  that 
we  were  on  the  right  trail." 

"  That,"  said  the  girl,  "  does  not  sound  possible." 

Alton  nodded.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  Still,  one  gets  taught 
up  there  in  the  bush  that  there's  more  in  a  man  than  what 
some  folks  think  of  as  his  reason.  Well,  we  made  a  tough 
fight,  and  were  beaten." 

Miss  Deringham  glanced  at  him  covertly,  and  noticing 
his  quiet,  bronzed  face,  steady  eyes,  and  big  brown  hands, 
felt  that  the  struggle  had  been  very  grim  and  stubborn. 
"  So  you  gave  it  up  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton,  "  for  a  time,  and  I  had  my  hands 
full  with  other  things  when  Jimmy  went  back  again.  He 

71 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

had  piled  up  a  few  dollars  and  left  the  woman  behind  him. 
He  took  the  trail  with  a  good  outfit  and  a  pack-horse,  but 
he  didn't  come  down  again,  and  when  Mrs.  Jimmy  got 
anxious  I  went  up  to  look  for  him.  It  was  a  good  while 
before  I  found  him  sitting  under  a  pine,  and  he  had  found 
the  silver,  though  it  wasn't  much  use  to  him." 

"  Was  it  a  rich  vein  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  solemnly,  "  I  think  it  was,  from  the 
specimens  he  had  brought  along,  but,  and  it's  difficult  some- 
times to  see  why  things  should  happen  that  way,  he  couldn't 
tell  me  where  it  was.    Jimmy  was  dead,  you  see." 
,     The  girl  shivered  visibly.    "  It  must  have  been  horrible." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  He  was  sitting  there  very 
quiet  in  the  snow  with  his  hand  frozen  on  the  rifle,  and  there 
was  a  big  dead  panther  not  far  away ;  but  I  was  more  sorry 
for  Mrs.  Jimmy  than  I  was  for  him.  Jimmy  hadn't  always 
been  a  trail-chopper,  and  one  could  see  he  had  been  carry- 
ing a  heavy  load  he  brought  out  from  the  old  country.  I 
think  he  was  tired." 

"  And  the  silver  still  lies  hidden  up  there  ?  "  said  Miss 
Deringham. 

Alton  nodded.  "Yes,"  he  said.  "I've  hunted  for  it 
twice,  but  couldn't  find  Jimmy's  trail.  By  and  by,  and 
because  the  woman  wants  it,  I'm  going  back  again." 

"  But  it  would  belong  to  anybody  who  found  it  now,"  said 
Miss  Deringham. 

"  No,"  said  Alton  quietly.  "  A  half  of  what  I  get  there 
belongs  to  Mrs.  Jimmy.  The  dead  man  has  a  claim." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  most  men  would  think  so.  You  are 
generous,"  said  the  girl. 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  I'm  just  where  I  can,  and  it  hurts 
me  to  owe  anybody  anything,  whether  it's  a  favour,  or  the 
other  thing." 

Miss  Deringham  understood  him,  and  reflected  as  she 
glanced  at  him  out  of  the  corners  of  her  eyes  that  her  father 
would  do  well  if  he  dealt  openly  with  this  man.  She  fancied 
he  could  be  remorseless  in  a  reckoning,  and  she  had  now 
and  then  of  late  had  unpleasant  suspicions  respecting 
Deringham's  intentions  concerning  him. 

Alton  took  up  the  paddle,  and  the  pair  found  Deringham 

72 


ALTON   BLUNDERS 

waiting  them  when  they  landed.  They  crossed  the  valley 
together,  and  the  girl,  who  had  seen  little  of  industrial 
activity,  became  interested  when  at  her  father's  desire  they 
followed  Alton  into  the  mill.  A  cloud  of  pungent  smoke 
hung  about  it,  and  the  steady  pounding  of  an  engine  jarred 
through  the  monotone  of  the  river,  which  was  low  just  then, 
while  there  was  a  pleasant  fragrance  in  the  open-sided 
building  where  brawny  men  moved  amidst  the  whirling 
dust  with  the  precision  of  the  machines  they  handled.  Alice 
Deringham  could  see  with  untrained  eyes  that  there  was  no 
waste  of  effort  here.  The  great  logs  that  slid  in  at  one  end 
passed  straight  forward  over  the  rattling  rollers,  and  made 
no  deviation  until  they  went  out  as  planking.  Silent  men 
and  whirring  saws,  whose  strident  scream  changed  to  a 
deeper  humming  as  they  rent  into  the  great  redwood  trunks, 
alike  did  their  work  with  swift  efficiency,  and  once  more 
the  girl  glanced  with  a  little  wonder  at  the  man  who  had 
organized  it  all. 

"  This  appears  to  be  a  remarkably  well-laid-out  mill,"  said 
her  father. 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  We  shall  have  a  bigger  one  by 
and  by,"  he  said.  "  The  only  thing  I'm  proud  of  is  the 
planer,  and  she  cost  me  a  pile  of  dollars.  I  had  to  cut 
down  all  round  before  I  could  buy  the  thing,  and  then  I 
pulled  her  all  to  pieces,  and  fixed  her  up  myself." 

Alice  Deringham  followed  her  father  towards  a  big, 
humming  machine  that  was  tearing  off  the  surface  of  the 
planks  fed  to  it  and  flinging  them  out  polished  into  whiteness. 
Alton  glanced  at  it  admiringly. 

"  Yes,  I'm  proud  of  that,"  he  said.  "  It  was  a  tight  fit 
buying  her,  and  now  she's  saving  me  dollars  every  day." 
Then  he  turned  to  a  stooping  man.  "  You're  crowding  her 
a  little." 

Alice  Deringham  noticed  the  resentment  in  the  man's 
face,  which  was  not  a  pleasant  one,  and  that,  in  place  of 
relaxing  the  pressure,  he  seemed  to  thrust  a  little  more 
strenuously  upon  the  plank  he  guided;  but  that  was  all 
she  saw,  for  the  next  moment  there  was  a  crash  and  a  loud 
whirring,  and  a  cloud  of  woody  dust  was  flung  all  over  her. 

Alton  sprang  forward  through  it,  and  a  big  leather  belt 

73 


ALTON    OF   SOMASCO 

suddenly  stopped,  but  the  girl  could  never  clearly  remember 
what  happened  next,  for  the  dust  still  whirled  about  her. 
There,  however,  appeared  to  be  a  brief  altercation,  and  as 
Alton  moved  towards  him  the  other  man  dropped  his  hand 
to  his  belt.  Guessing  what  the  action  meant,  Alice  Der- 
ingham  shrank  back  with  a  little  shiver,  and  her  father 
appeared  to  grasp  the  man's  shoulder.  Alton  swayed 
suddenly  sideways,  and  then  hurled  himself  forward,  while 
next  moment  two  men  fell  violently  against  the  wrecked 
machine.  One  of  them  seemed  to  be  helpless  in  the  grasp 
of  the  other,  and  staggering  clear  of  the  planer  they  went 
reeling  through  the  mill.  Then  there  was  a  splash  in  the 
river,  and  Alton  returned  alone,  breathless  and  somewhat 
white  in  face. 

"  Sorry,  but  there  was  no  other  way  out  of  it,"  he  said 
a  trifle  hoarsely.  "  Now  I've  got  to  size  up  the  ruin,  if 
you'll  excuse  me." 

Deringham  turned  away  with  his  daughter  in  time  to  see 
a  dripping  object  crawl  out  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  "  Are  you  still  pleased  with  your  tame  bear  ?  "  he 
said  ironically. 

The  girl  laughed  a  little,  though  her  colour  was  perhaps 
a  trifle  higher  than  usual.  "  There  is  a  good  deal  of  the 
beast  still  unsubdued  in  him,"  she  said. 

Deringham  nodded.  "  Still,  he  had  some  provocation, 
and  I  think  he  was  right.  So  far  as  I  could  follow  the 
discussion,  the  other  man  meant  to  question  his  ability  to 
dismiss  him,  with  the  pistol." 

Alice  Deringham  said  nothing  further  upon  the  subject 
until  Alton  joined  them  as  they  sat  out  on  the  verandah 
that  night.  "  You  are  not  pleased  with  me  ?  "  he  said. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  warrant  me  telling  you  so,  and  I 
may  have  been  mistaken,"  said  the  girl  reflectively. 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  that's  the  pity ;  but  couldn't  you  re- 
member just  now  and  then  that  you  are  friends  with  me?  " 

"  Things  of  this  kind  make  it  a  little  difficult,"  said  Miss 
Deringham. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  that  machine  cost  me  twelve  months' 
grim  self-denial,  and  the  fellow  broke  it  out  of  temper 
because  I  spoke  to  him." 

74 


ALTON   BLUNDERS 

"  It  was,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  "  sufficiently  exasperat- 
ing, but  was  the  rest  justifiable  because  you  were  a  stronger 
or  bolder  man  than  him  ?  " 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  You  don't  understand.  I  did 
it  because  I  was  afraid,"  said  he.  "  Now  if  I  hadn't  been, 
I'd  have  backed  that  man  right  into  the  river  without 
touching  him." 

The  girl  glanced  at  him  and  then  lapsed  into  a  ripple  of 
laughter.  "  I'm  afraid  I  must  give  you  up,"  said  she. 

Just  then  Deringham  came  into  the  verandah,  and  Alton 
turned  towards  him.  "  It's  a  little  difficult  to  put  it  as  I 
would  like  to,  but  I'm  glad  it  was  you.  You  know  what 
I  mean." 

Deringham  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed.  "  I'm  not  sure 
that  you  are  indebted  to  me  at  all,"  he  said.  "  I  only  seized 
his  shoulder,  and  you  would  not  have  expected  me  to  look 
on?" 

Alton  shook  his  head.  "  I  don't  think  he  would  have 
missed  if  you  hadn't  done  it,  and  I  will  not  forget,"  he  said. 
"  This  thing  will  always  count  for  a  good  deal  between 
you  and  me." 

He  went  away,  and  Alice  Deringham  glanced  at  her 
father  with  a  flush  in  her  face.  "  I  did  not  understand 
before.  The  man  had  a  pistol  and  you  took  it  from  him  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Deringham,  with  a  curious  little  laugh.  "  I 
meant  to  knock  his  arm  up,  and  am  not  sure  that  I  did  it. 
It  was,  considering  all  things,  a  somewhat  disinterested 
action."y 


75 


CHAPTER   VIII 
HALLAM'S   CONFEDERATE 

IT  was  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  day  fol- 
lowing Alton's  affray  with  the  workman  when  the  cook 
came  limping  into  the  verandah  of  the  Somasco  ranch, 
where  Deringham  leaned,  cigar  in  hand,  against  a  pillar 
talking  to  his  daughter.  She  lay  in  a  hide  chair  Alton  had 
found  for  her,  listening  more  to  the  drowsy  roar  of  the  river 
than  to  her  father,  but  she  lifted  her  head  when  the  man  ap- 
peared. He  carried  a  tray  whereon  were  displayed  a  badly 
dinted  metal  teapot  of  considerable  size,  two  large,  flat  cakes 
of  bread,  a  can  of  condensed  milk,  and  a  saucer  swimming 
with  partially  melted  butter,  which  had  resolved  itself  into 
little  lumps  of  whitish  grease  and  a  thin  golden  fluid  under 
the  afternoon  sun.  He  laid  them  on  the  table,  and  after 
deftly  picking  out  one  or  two  dead  flies  from  the  butter 
turned  to  the  girl  with  a  grin  in  which  pride  was  evident, 
though  it  was  apparently  meant  to  be  deprecatory. 

"  I  guess  this  is  the  kind  of  thing  you  were  used  to  in 
the  old  country,  Miss,"  he  said.  "  You  have  only  got  to 
tell  me  if  you  would  fancy  a  piece  of  cold  pork  or  other 
fixings." 

Alice  Deringham  dared  not  glance  at  her  father,  who 
seemed  to  be  gazing  fixedly  down  the  valley,  but  her  lips 
quivered  a  little  as  she  turned  towards  the  man. 

"  I  do  not  think  we  shall  want  anything  else,"  she  said 
with  a  serenity  that  cost  her  an  effort,  though  it  was  excel- 
lently assumed. 

The  man  limped  away  with  the  tray,  though  he  stopped 
again  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway.  "  If  you  take  a  notion  of 
that  pork  after  all,  hammer  on  the  iron  roofing  sheet  there, 
and  I'll  bring  it  right  away,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  waited  until  he  was  out  of  sight,  and 


HALLAM'S    CONFEDERATE 

then  lay  back  in  her  chair  and  laughed  when  her  father 
glanced  at  her  with  a  little  grim  smile. 

"  Savages,  my  dear !  "  he  said.  "  Still,  their  intentions 
are  evidently  kindly,  which  is  unfortunate  because  it  in- 
volves us  in  a  difficulty." 

"A  difficulty?" 

Deringham  nodded.  "  I  have  a  suspicion  that  our  esti- 
mable kinsman,  who  seems  to  consider  that  what  is  good 
enough  for  Somasco  should  content  anybody,  might  be 
offended  if  we  slighted  his  hospitality,  and  that  teapot  ap- 
parently contains  at  least  three  pints  of  strong  green  tea," 
he  said.  "I  do  not  know  whether  you  feel  equal  to  consum- 
ing half  of  it,  but  if  it  is  the  same  as  I  had  at  breakfast  I 
must  be  excused.  One  could  also  fancy  from  their  solidity 
that  those  cups  had  been  intended  for  breaking  stones  with." 

"  I  can  at  least  pour  the  tea  over  the  balustrade,"  said  the 
girl.  "  It  is  the  bread  that  presents  the  difficulty.  It  would 
crumble  in  your  pocket,  and  you  will  presumably  have  to  eat 
a  little  to  save  appearances." 

Deringham  made  a  gesture  of  resignation.  "  On  condi- 
tion that  you  do  as  much.  I  am  not  going  to  be  the  only 
victim,  though  I  fancy  you  could  not  crumble  that  bread  in 
a  stamp  battery.  This  meal,  and  what  we  have  otherwise 
seen  at  Somasco,  confirms  my  theory  that  the  folks\  who 
make  money  in  the  Colonies  could  save  as  much,  or  more,  in 
England  if  they  lived  in  a  similar  fashion." 

"  Would  it  be  worth  while  ?  "  asked  the  girl  with  a  little 
smile. 

"  It  is  a  question  of  temperament,"  said  Deringham. 
"  Personally,  I  do  not  think  it  would.  Indeed,  one  could 
fancy  that  a  man  of  taste  would  sooner  be  interred  decently, 
which  is  why  I  will  take  a  very  little  of  the  tea.  You  see, 
our  mode  of  life  in  England,  unfortunately,  depends  to  some 
extent  upon  my  retaining  the  good  will  of  Mr.  Alton  of 
Somasco.  He  will,  however,  have  to  excuse  me  from  tasting 
his  butter." 

The  girl  poured  a  little  of  the  tea  into  the  cups,  and  then 
emptied  the  pot  over  the  balustrade,  which  was,  as  it  hap- 
pened, a  blunder,  because  while  she  endeavoured  to  crumble 
a  small  portion  of  the  bread  so  as  to  convey  the  impression 

77 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

that  she  had  been  eating  it,  Alton  and  Seaforth  came  into  the 
verandah. 

The  latter  glanced  at  her,  and,  for  he  could  not  help  it,  a 
little  smile  flickered  in  his  eyes. 

"  It  is  a  very  long  while  since  I  had  afternoon  tea,  and  I 
am  not  sure  that  Harry  ever  indulged  in  it  in  his  life,"  he 
said.  "  I  will  bring  some  more  cups  if  you  will  give  us 
some." 

Deringham  looked  at  his  daughter  reproachfully,  though 
his  eyes  twinkled,  and  for  just  a  moment  a  flush  crept  into 
the  girl's  face,  but  she  laughed  as  she  said,  "  Then  I  must 
trouble  to  ask  the  cook  for  more  water." 

Alton  hammered  upon  the  suspended  iron  sheet,  and  in  a 
minute  or  two  the  cook  appeared  again  with  a  large  plateful 
of  sliced  pork  which  he  laid  down  before  Miss  Deringham. 

"  I  was  figuring  you  would  change  your  mind,  and  if  you 
want  any  more  you  have  only  to  ask  for  it,"  he  said. 

It  cost  the  girl  an  effort  to  repress  a  shiver  of  disgust,  but 
though  she  succeeded  Alton  saw  her  face,  and  she  noticed 
that  the  bronze  grew  a  trifle  darker  in  his  forehead.  It 
seemed  that  he  guessed  her  thoughts,  but  the  fact  that  he 
offered  no  explanation  and  made  no  excuse  for  the  unin- 
viting fare  pleased  her.  She  fancied  she  understood  his 
reticence,  and  that  it  became  him. 

"  Take  that  pork  away,  and  bring  more  water !  "  he  said, 
and  there  was  a  faint  ring  in  his  voice  as  he  turned  to  the 
cook. 

The  man,  who  took  up  the  teapot,  shook  it,  and  then,  as 
though  still  incredulous,  lifted  the  lid  and  gazed  inside  it. 

"  More  water  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton,  a  trifle  harshly.    "  Get  it  right,  now !  " 

The  man  went  away,  and  there  was  for  almost  a  minute  a 
somewhat  unpleasant  silence.  Even  Seaforth  did  not  seem 
to  know  what  to  say,  though  he  felt  an  absurd  desire  to 
laugh,  and  Alice  Deringham  was  at  once  relieved  and  some- 
what astonished  when  Alton  put  an  end  to  it  by  a  whimsical 
story  of  a  raw  Englishman's  camp  cookery.  Seaforth  fol- 
lowed it  with  a  better  one,  and  the  whole  four  were  laughing 
when  the  cook  came  back  again.  He  smiled  at  them  reas- 
suringly as  he  put  the  teapot  down. 

78 


HALLAM'S    CONFEDERATE 

"  I  guess  there's  enough  this  time,"  he  said.  "  It's  that 
full  I  could  scarcely  get  the  lid  on." 

The  tea  was  strong,  and  acrid  with  the  sting  of  the  wood 
smoke,  but  there  was  no  avoiding  another  cupful,  and  Der- 
ingham  drank  determinedly,  while  his  daughter  felt  that 
she  had  made  full  atonement  when  she  set  her  cup  down 
half  empty.  Then  Alton,  who  explained  that  he  had  some- 
thing to  attend  to,  went  away,  and  Seaforth  smiled  at  the 
girl  when  Deringham  went  in  for  another  cigar. 

"  I  wonder  if  one  might  venture  to  congratulate  you  on 
your  resolution  ?  "  he  said. 

"  If  I  knew  exactly  what  you  meant  I  could  answer  more 
readily,"  said  Alice  Deringham. 

"  Well,"  said  Seaforth  reflectively,  "  I  fancy  you  do,  and, 
if  it's  any  comfort  to  you,  I  think  Harry  does  too.  He  is 
considerably  less  of  a  fool  than  folks  who  do  not  understand 
this  country  might  suppose  him  to  be ;  but  the  point  is,  that 
if  he  can  prevent  it  you  will  not  suffer  an  infliction  of  this 
kind  again." 

"  I  wonder  why  you  thought  it  worth  while  to  tell  me," 
said  Alice  Deringham.  "  Have  I  admitted  that  it  was  an 
affliction,  or  do  you  suppose  I  am  very  frightened  of  a  little 
indifferent  tea  ?  " 

Seaforth  laughed.  "  I  can't  fancy  you  so  fond  of  it  as 
the  cook  seems  to  conclude,  and  I  don't  think  indifferent  was 
exactly  the  word.  A  stronger  one  would  have  been  appro- 
priate. Still,  though  I  am  not  sure  that  you  will  understand 
me,  I  told  you  because  I  felt  it  was  due  to  Harry.  You  see, 
his  attitude  was  really  the  correct  one,  and  taking  him  all 
round  I  am  rather  proud  of  him." 

"  Hasn't  that  an  appearance  of  unnecessary  patronage?" 
asked  Miss  Deringham,  who  was  slightly  nettled. 

Seaforth  nodded.  "  It  has,"  he  said.  "  Only  that  the 
feeling  is  shared  by  everybody  in  this  district,  it  would  be 
sheer  presumption.  Good  wine,  you  know,  needs  no  bush." 

He  went  away  because  he  had  a  suspicion  that  Alton 
would  be  wanting  him,  which  was  borne  out  when  he  found 
his  comrade  saddling  a  horse. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Harry  ?  We  are  not  half  way 
through  with  the  sawlogs,"  he  said. 

79 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

"  No,"  .said  Alton  dryly.  "  Still,  if  you  work  hard 
enough,  you  and  Tom  should  get  them  into  the  water  before 
it's  dark  to-night.  I'm  going  right  down  to  Horton's." 

Seaforth  laughed.  "  I  thought  you  would.  Horton  has, 
however,  as  much  taste  in  china  as  the  average  mule.  Don't 
leave  it  to  him." 

"  How  did  you  guess  'that  ?  "  and  Alton  stared  at  him. 

"  That,"  said  Seaforth,  "  was  delightfully  simple.  It  is  a 
little  more  difficult  to  decide  what  Miss  Deringham,  who  is 
a  quick-witted  young  woman,  did  with  the  tea.  As  you  are 
quite  aware,  she  did  not  drink  it.  Still,  that  is  not  the  ques- 
tion. I'll  write  you  out  a  little  list  of  what  is  wanted — I 
used  to  know  a  little  about  china  once,  you  see,  and  you  tell 
Horton  to  send  it  on  to  Vancouver.  How  much  would  you 
care  to  spend,  Harry  ?  " 

"  Just  whatever  is  necessary,  but  get  the  best,"  said  Alton. 
"  Write  another  list  of  cakes  and  jellies  and  things  of  that 
kind,  too.  Put  down  plenty." 

Seaforth  returned  by  the  time  the  horse  was  saddled, 
with  an  envelope,  and  Alton,  who  took  it,  rode  out  at  a 
gallop,  for  it  was  a  long  way  to  the  settlement,  and  the 
evenings  at  the  ranch  had  of  late  become  very  pleasant  to 
him.  He  did  not  wish  to  lose  a  minute  of  one  of  them.  He 
drew  bridle,  however,  when  he  came  up  with  two  men  stand- 
ing in  the  narrow  trail,  one  of  whom  signed  to  him.  He 
was  a  small  rancher,  but  it  was  not  until  the  impatient  horse 
plunged  that  Alton  recognized  the  other,  who  moved  aside, 
as  the  man  he  had  thrown  into  the  river.  The  rancher  saw 
the  glance  that  passed  between  them. 

"  Hallo !  "  he  said.  "  Then  you  two  had  trouble  when 
you  split?  Now,  Darner  was  telling  me  he'd  got  kind  of 
tired  of  saw  milling." 

Alton  laughed.  "  That's  quite  likely,"  he  said.  "  He 
showed  it  by  breaking  up  my  planer  in  a  fit  of  temper,  and 
I  fired  him." 

Then  he  touched  the  horse  with  his  heel,  and  Darner's 
gaze  grew  venomous  as  he  watched  him  ride  away  down  the 
shadowy  trail.  The  rancher  evidently  noticed  it. 

"  Now  I  begin  to  understand  how  you  got  your  jacket 
tore  up  and  that  lump  on  your  forehead,"  he  said.  "  I 

80 


HALLAM'S    CONFEDERATE 

wasn't  quite  sure  about  your  tale,  anyway,  and  if  Harry  fired 
you  it  was  for  something  mean.  You'll  get  no  horse  from 
me." 

The  other  man  said  nothing  as  he  turned  away,  but  his 
face  was  not^,pleasant  as  he  plodded  down  the  trail,  and 
those  words  of  Alton's  were  to  cost  him  dear,  for  if  Damer 
had  obtained  the  horse  he  wanted  to  carry  him  to  the  rail- 
road he  would  in  all  probability  have  left  the  country,  which 
would  have  prevented  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  As  it  was, 
however,  he  restrapped  the  roll  of  blankets  on  his  back,  and 
trudged  on  with  bitterness  in  his  heart  under  the  heat  of  the 
afternoon.  He  had  when  he  left  the  Somasco  mill  headed 
in  the  direction  of  the  Tyee  mine,  and  passed  the  night  in 
the  woods ;  but  with  the  morning  reflection  came,  and  he  had 
doubled  on  his  trail  and  was  then  making  for  the  railroad, 
stiff  with  fatigue.  Each  time  he  stumbled  into  a  rut  and 
the  jolt  shook  him  he  remembered  his  last  grievance  against 
Alton,  who  had  sent  him  on  foot,  and  his  frame  of  mind  was 
not  an  enviable  one  when  he  limped  into  sight  of  the  settle- 
ment as  dusk  was  closing  down. 

He  had  made  a  long  journey  that  day,  and  a  good  deal 
depended  on  the  fact  that  he  was  weary  and  his  boots  galled 
him,  because  it  had  been  his  intention  to  push  on  to  a  ranch 
beyond  the  settlement  before  he  slept,  and  hire  a  horse 
there.  Damer  was  not  especially  sensitive,  but  he  felt  no 
great  desire  to  encounter  the  badinage  of  the  men  generally 
to  be  found  about  the  store,  who,  he  surmised,  would  have 
heard  by  this  time  what  had  happened  at  the  Somasco  mill. 
Still,  he  was  hungry  and  weary,  and  stopped  a  moment  when 
he  caught  a  blink  of  light  between  the  trees.  The  bush 
behind  him  was  very  black  and  still,  the  dampness  of  the 
dew  was  on  his  dusty  garments,  and  he  shivered  a  little  in 
the  faint  cold  breeze  that  came  down  from  the  snow.  Then 
more  lights  twinkled  into  brightness,  a  cheerful  murmur  of 
voices  and  a  burst  of  laughter  came  out  of  the  shadows,  and 
the  glow  that  broke  out  from  the  windows  of  Horton's  store 
seemed  curiously  inviting.  Damer,  however,  dallied  still, 
and  fumbled  for  his  tobacco.  He  would  sit  down  where  he 
was  and  smoke,  he  said,  and  then  attempt  that  last  toilsome 
league. 

81 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

As  it  happened,  he  could  not  find  the  tobacco,  and  having 
a  hazy  recollection  of  laying  it  on  the  ground  the  last  time 
he  filled  his  pipe,  he  shook  his  aching  shoulders  and  trudged 
on.  The  loss  of  the  tobacco  decided  him,  and  with  a  male- 
diction on  Alton  he  made  for  Horton's.  It  was  also  a  fate- 
ful decision  with  far-reaching  results  he  made  just  then. 
Supper  had  long  been  cleared  away  when  he  entered  the 
general  room  of  the  hotel,  and  then  stopped  a  moment  with 
his  hand  on  the  door,  for  the  one  man  who  sat  under  the 
big  lamp  was  the  last  person  he  desired  to  meet.  He  had, 
however,  some  papers  spread  out  in  front  of  him,  and 
Darner  decided  to  slip  away  quietly,  but  as  he  moved  the 
blankets  on  his  shoulders  struck  the  door,  which  rattled,  and 
the  man  looked  up  sharply.  He  had  a  fleshy  face,  and  black 
beady  eyes,  which  he  fixed  on  Darner,  who  stood  still,  with  a 
little,  unpleasant  smile. 

"  Come  right  in !  "  he  said. 

Damer  smothered  an  anathema  as  he  recognized  the  com- 
mand in  the  tone.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  If  you  don't  mind, 
Mr.  Hallam,  I'll  be  getting  on  again." 

"  Come  in !  "  said  Hallam,  a  trifle  more  sharply,  but  for 
just  a  moment  Damer  remained  motionless.  A  few  steps 
would  take  him  down  the  verandah  stairway,  and  then  the 
shadowy  bush  lay  before  him.  Had  he  had  a  horse,  he 
would  have  obeyed  the  impulse  which  prompted  him  to 
avoid  the  encounter ;  but,  as  it  happened,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  Alton  had  met  the  rancher  who  would  otherwise  have 
lent  him  one,  he  had  none.  So  with  evident  unwillingness 
he  came  slowly  forward,  and  dropping  his  bundles  on  the 
floor  flung  himself  into  a  chair. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I'm  here." 

Hallam,  who  had  been  watching  him,  nodded  reflectively. 
"  I  guess  you  didn't  expect  to  find  me,  or  you  wouldn't  have 
come,"  he  said.  "Where  were  you  going?" 

"  To  the  railroad,"  said  Damer.     "  Out  of  the  country !  " 

"  Without  telling  me  ?  That  was  kind  of  foolish  of  you. 
Still,  you  haven't  much  sense,  anyway.  Ydu  had  quite  a 
well-paid  job  at  Somasco." 

"  Well,"  said  Damer  dryly,  "  I  haven't  got  it  now." 

Hallam  laughed,  though  the  glint  in  his  eyes  did  not 

83 


HALLAM'S    CONFEDERATE 

express  good  will.  "  You  have  got  a  temper  that  will  be 
the  ruin  of  you,  and  don't  know  when  a  man's  too  big  for 
you,  while,  now  I  come  to  look  at  you,  there's  a  lump  on  your 
forehead  that  makes  the  thing  quite  plain.  You  have  been 
fooling  with  Alton,  and  he  has  'most  pounded  the  life  out  of 
you.  Still,  what  do  you  want  to  leave  the  country  for, 
anyway  ?  " 

Darner  set  his  lips,  and  drummed  with  his  fingers  on  the 
table.  Then  he  made  a  little  deprecatory  gesture,  and 
glanced  at  Hallam. 

"  You'll  hear  it  all  by  and  by,  but  there's  one  point  where 
you're  wrong,"  he  said.  "  Now,  I'm  not  scared  too  easily, 
but  I  kind  of  feel  it  in  me  I'll  make  nothing  but  trouble  for 
myself  by  worrying  Alton.  Still,  it's  not  the  man  himself 
I'm  afraid  of.  I've  met  tougher  ones,  and  come  out  ahead 
of  them." 

Hallam  sat  silent  a  moment,  for  he  knew  the  prospectors 
and  survey  packers  who  passed  their  lives  amidst  the  des- 
olate ranges  and  in  the  shadowy  bush  and  their  super- 
stitions. 

"  You  have  had  trouble  with  him  before?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Darner,  "  I  have.  He  cut  my  partner  down 
with  an  axe  back  there  in  Washington.  It  was  in  the  big 
rush  in  the  Baker  foothills,  and  we  had  a  hard  crowd  stand- 
ing in  with  us ;  but  I  had  to  pull  out,  and  Alton  and  another 
man  made  most  of  five  thousand  dollars  out  of  the  claim  I 
left." 

"  The  Bluebird  ?  "  said  Hallam  reflectively.  "  I  remem- 
ber that  rush.  Alton  did  himself  well.  Wasn't  there  a  man 
called  Nailer  mixed  up  in  the  affair  ?  " 

"  There  was,"  said  Darner,  who  seemed  to  shiver  a  little. 
"  He  was  my  partner.  We'd  have  had  the  claim,  and  Alton 
wouldn't  have  worried  anybody  again,  if  Nailer  had  kept 
his  nerve  that  night.  Something  went  wrong  with  the 
spring  of  his  Winchester — and  Alton  didn't  give  him 
another  chance." 

The  silence  that  followed  was  somewhat  impressive. 
Hallam  was  trying  to  remember  what  he  had  read  about  the 
affray  in  question  in  a  Tacoma  paper,  while  Damer  once 
more  saw  in  fancy  a  man  spring  half-dressed  through  the 

83 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

wisp  of  smoke  that  drifted  about  a  little  tent.  He  remem- 
bered with  an  unpleasant  distinctness  the  crash  of  the  rifle 
shot  that  rang  amidst  the  shadowy  pines,  and  the  grim  face 
of  the  man  who  whirled  an  axe  that  glinted  in  the  moonlight 
about  his  head.  He  saw  the  flash  of  its  descent — and  then 
brushing  the  memories  from  him  stretched  out  a  hand  that 
shook  a  little  towards  the  whisky  on  the  table. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  owe  Alton  a  good  deal,  and  that's 
why  I  went  up  to  Somasco  when  you  told  me,  but  he  has 
been  too  much  for  me  again,  and  now  I  feel  it  in  me  that  if 
I'm  wise  I'll  let  that  man  alone." 

He  drank  a  little  whisky,  and  sat  still,  staring  vacantly 
before  him  with  a  vague  apprehension  in  his  eyes,  while  the 
strained  tenseness  of  his  expression  and  attitude  was  not 
without  its  effect  on  Hallam,  and  it  was  unfortunate  he  did 
not  yield  to  the  impulse  which  prompted  him  to  let  Darner 
go.  He,  however,  shook  off  the  fancy  with  a  little,  impatient 
laugh. 

"  It's  not  going  to  suit  me  to  have  you  slipping  out  of  the 
country,"  he  said.  "  I  want  you  right  here,  though  it  would 
be  quite  easy  to  find  a  man  with  twice  the  grit  you  have  in 
you.  You  let  Alton  whip  you  off  your  claim  in  Washington, 
and — for  I've  a  notion  of  what  has  happened — 'most  pound 
the  head  off  you  yesterday.  Now  you  want  to  light  out, 
leaving  him  to  laugh  at  you  ?  " 

Darner  flushed  a  little,  and  a  look  of  vindictive  malice 
crept  into  his  eyes  as  he  rose. 

"  That's  about  enough !  "  he  said.  "  You're  quite  a  dif- 
ferent man  from  Alton.  I'm  going  on." 

"  Sit  down !  "  said  Hallam  sharply.  "  I'm  quite  as  dan- 
gerous to  you.  Take  some  more  whisky,  and  listen  to 
me,  though  I  didn't  think  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  into  the 
thing  again.  I  was  with  the  men  who  found  Gordon  at  the 
bottom  of  his  shaft  on  the  Quatchigan." 

Damer  appeared  irresolute,  but  he  sat  down.  "  Nobody 
knows  how  he  got  there." 

"  No  ?  Well,  I  have  a  notion,  and  I  guess  Tom  Winstan- 
ley  and  one  other  man  could  tell." 

"  Winstanley's  dead." 

Hallam  laughed.     "  Still,  the  other  man  is  on  my  pay-roll, 

84 


HALLAM'S    CONFEDERATE 

but  where  you  can't  get  at  him  unless  I  want  you  to.  Now, 
are  you  going  to  gain  anything  by  kicking  against  me  ?  " 

Damer  was  evidently  astonished,  and  sat  for  almost  a 
minute  as  though  lost  in  reflection.  Then  he  made  a  little 
gesture  as  one  who  abandons  a  struggle. 

"  I  guess  that  takes  me.    What  do  you  want?  "  he  said. 

"  Nothing  very  much  in  the  meanwhile.  They'll  start  you 
rock-drilling  at  the  Tyee,  but  it's  quite  likely  I'll  send  you 
up  into  the  ranges  prospecting  by  and  by.  Still,  I  don't 
want  any  of  the  folks  down  here  to  know  you're  with  me, 
and  you'll  start  out  by  the  railroad  trail  to-morrow,  and  wait 
at  the  lake  until  I  come  up  with  you.  There's  somebody 
coming  now !  " 

Damer  moved  abruptly,  for  there  was  a  step  on  the  stair- 
way, and  as  he  reached  the  verandah  a  man  brushed  past 
him.  He  stopped,  and  for  a  moment  Damer  and  Alton 
stood  face  to  face.  The  latter,  however,  passed  on,  and 
swept  his  glance  round  the  room,  seeing  only  a  man  he  did 
not  recognize  sitting  at  the  opposite  end  with  his  back  to  him. 
Then  he  swung  round  again,  and  went  down  the  stairway 
shouting,  "  Horton !  "  until  a  man  came  out  from  a  shed  at 
the  back  of  the  store. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I'm  here.  You  needn't  raise  the  whole 
place,  Harry." 

Alton  laughed.  "  I've  been  up  to  Grantly's,  and  he's 
going  in  to  the  railroad  to-morrow.  You  can  send  that 
order  for  the  crockery  along  with  him.  Dollars  are  no 
object  so  long  as  it's  pretty.  The  tea  is  to  be  the  best  they 
keep  in  Vancouver,  too." 

He  swung  himself  into  the  saddle,  and  shook  the  bridle, 
while  Damer  leaned  on  the  verandah  balustrade  gazing  up 
the  dusky  trail  he  had  taken  until  the  last  faint  beat  of 
horsehoofs  sank  into  the  silence  of  the  bush.  It  was  now 
very  black  and  solemn,  but  away  beyond  it  the  snow  still 
shone  faintly  cold  and  white  against  the  sky,  and  once  more 
Damer  shivered  a  little  as  he  turned  towards  the  lighted 
store.  He  had  meant  to  leave  the  country,  but  fate  had 
been  too  strong  for  him,  and  remembering  what  Hallam 
had  told  him  about  the  prospecting  he  wondered  if  he  and 
Alton  would  meet  again  under  that  cold  gleam  of  snow 
amidst  the  great  desolation  of  the  ranges. 

85 


CHAPTER   IX 

MISS  DERINGHAM  FEELS  SLIGHTED 

THE  morning1  was  still  and  almost  unpleasantly  warm, 
but  Miss  Deringham  looked  very  fresh  and  cool  in  her  long 
white  dress  as  she  lay  in  a  deerhide  chair  on  the  verandah 
of  the  Somasco  ranch.  She  had  hung  her  hat  on  the  back 
of  the  chair,  and  a  shaft  of  sunlight  called  up  an  answering 
brightness  from  the  coils  of  lustrous  hair.  One  foot  in  the 
scantiest  form  of  slipper  rested  on  the  lowest  rail  of  the 
balustrade,  and  she  had  slightly  curled  herself  up  in  the 
chair  in  a  fashion  which  implied  a  languid  content  with  her 
surroundings,  and  that  there  was  no  longer  any  need 
for  ceremony  between  herself  and  her  companion.  It  is 
possible  that  Miss  Deringham  was  aware  of  this,  even  if 
she  had  not  intended  to  convey  that  impression. 

Alton,  who  now  wore  a  new  jean  jacket  buttoned  right  up 
to  the  neck,  leaned  against  a  pillar,  answering  the  questions 
of  the  girl,  who  glanced  at  him  with  a  smile  occasionally. 
He  had,  as  usual,  a  good  deal  to  do  that  day,  and  now  and 
then  turned  his  eyes  towards  the  sun,  as  though  noticing 
its  height  above  the  cedars,  which  did  not,  of  course,  escape 
Miss  Deringham's  attention.  Still,  he  lingered  upon  the 
verandah,  and  what  she  deduced  from  this  was  not  unpleas- 
ant to  the  girl.  Though  it  still  returned  at  increasing 
intervals,  she  had  almost  forgotten  her  antipathy  to  the  man, 
and  the  fact  that  he  was  rapidly  yielding  to  her  refining 
and  sometimes  chastening  influence  was  indirectly  flattering. 
Miss  Deringham  experienced  the  more  gratification  in  using 
it  because  he  was  quick-witted,  and  a  veiled  rebuke  would 
bring  a  little  darker  colour  into  his  sun-darkened  face,  and 
she  could  forgive  his  offences,  which  were  indeed  not  fre- 
quent, for  the  sake  of  his  penitence. 

"  You  have  been  very  patient,"  she  said  at  length. 

86 


MISS  DERINGHAM  SLIGHTED 

"  No,"  said  Alton  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  I  don't 
think  that  is  a  thing  anybody  could  bring  up  against  me." 

"  Still,"  said  the  girl,  "  you  have  been  an  hour  here  talking 
to  me,  when  you  must  have  been  dying  to  get  away." 

Alton  laughed,  and  Miss  Deringham  found  something 
pleasant  in  his  naive  directness.  "  Now,  that's  not  fair.  If 
I  had  been  I  should  have  gone,"  said  he.  "  It  would  please 
me  to  stay  right  here  and  talk  to  you  all  day." 

Miss  Deringham  shook  her  head  reproachfully.  "  One 
should  imply  such  things  and  not  put  them  into  words. 
Still,  I  scarcely  think  you  will  much  longer  have  an  oppor- 
tunity. We  are  going  on  to  Vancouver  very  shortly." 

Alton's  face  grew  clouded.     "  Why  ?  "  he  said. 

The  girl  laughed  softly.  "  We  have  inconvenienced  Mrs. 
Margery  a  good  deal  already,  and  it  is  evident  that  we  can- 
not stay  here  for  ever." 

Alton  moved  abruptly,  and  his  companion  fancied  she 
heard  a  stifled  sigh.  "  No,"  he  said  gravely.  "  It's  a  pity ; 
but  you  could  wait  for  another  month  or  two." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled  a  little.  "  You  and  Charley  will 
miss  us,  then  ?  " 

Alton  nodded  gravely,  but  there  was  a  subdued  bright- 
ness in  his  eyes,  and  the  girl  wished  he  would  open  them 
fully.  She  fancied  he  was  putting  considerable  restraint 
upon  himself.  "  I  don't  know  about  Charley.  He  can  talk 
better  than  I  can  for  himself,  but  I  shall  miss  you  all  the 
time,"  he  said.  "  This  has  been  a  revelation  to  me,  and  I 
feel  that  it  is  good  for  me  to  talk  to  you.  Then,  before  you 
came  I  had  a  kind  of  bitter  feeling  against  all  my  father's 
folks  in  England.  I  figured  they  were  wrapped  up  in  their 
cast-iron  pride,  and  ready  to  trample  on  anybody  who  got 
in  their  way ;  but  you  have  started  me  thinking  differently, 
and  it  seems  my  duty  to  know  more  of  them.  After  all,  I 
am  an  Alton  of  Carnaby." 

The  girl  smiled  again.  "  You  fancy  you  may  have  been 
wrong  ?  " 

The  man's  face  flushed  a  little,  and  there  was  once  more 
evidence  of  the  self-restraint.  "  Yes,"  he  said  simply.  "  I 
know  I  was  a  fool." 

He  might  have  said  a  good  deal  more,  and  lessened  the 

S7 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

effect,  for  Miss  Deringham  had  seen  his  face  and  read  the 
respect  in  it.  Its  sincerity  touched  her,  and  she  felt  with  a 
vague  uneasiness  that  it  would  not  be  pleasant  to  face  his 
contempt  if  he  found  it  misplaced. 

"  And  yet  you  take  your  father's  part  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alton  simply.  "  What  would  any  son 
do  ?  But  it  seems  to  me  there  might  be  a  little  allowance  for 
my  grandfather,  too,  and  I  think  he  and  my  father  have 
fixed  up  that  quarrel  long  ago." 

"  They  are  both  dead,"  said  the  girl  with  a  little  curiosity. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton,  "  and  they  kept  their  word,  and  died 
unyielding.  Well,  I  think  they  were  each  right  from  their 
way  of  looking  at  the  thing,  and  that  being  so  they  could 
only  do  what  they  did,  and  would  respect  each  other  for  it 
when  they  meet  where  the  long  trail  ends.  My  father  was 
right  in  holding  to  the  woman  who  loved  him,  and  I  think 
Tristan  Alton  knew  it  when  he  left  Carnaby  to  me." 

Miss  Deringham  seemed  thoughtful.  The  man's  grim 
code  of  honour,  inflexible  as  it  was  primitive,  caused  her, 
for  no  apparent  reason,  indefinite  misgivings,  and  she  made 
a  little  gesture  of  weariness.  "  I  think,"  she  said,  "  it  would 
be  better  if  we  did  not  talk  of  Carnaby,  and  I  was  wonder- 
ing if  it  would  be  possible  to  catch  a  trout  if  there  is  a  little 
more  wind  presently." 

This  was  scarcely  a  correct  rendering  of  her  thoughts,  for 
she  was  in  reality  desirous  of  ascertaining  whether  the  man 
would,  to  afford  her  pleasure,  thrust  his  work  aside. 

"  Well,"  he  said  eagerly,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  would. 
Now,  there's  the  planer  to  fix  up,  but  that  could  wait  a  little, 
and — but  here's  someone  coming !  " 

Miss  Deringham  was  conscious  of  a  trace  of  annoyance 
when  a  girl  rode  out  of  the  orchard  on  a  wiry  little  pony. 
She  was  dressed  neatly  and  rode  well,  though  the  somewhat 
scanty  skirt  was  evidently  not  the  work  of  a  habitmaker 
and  had  seen  lengthy  service,  while  the  plain  straw  hat  could 
not  at  the  limit  have  cost  more  than  a  dollar;  nor  did  she 
wear  any  gloves,  and  her  hands  were  brown,  while  her  face 
betokened  exposure  to  frost  and  wind  and  sun.  It  was, 
however,  a  comely  face,  and  Miss  Deringham  noticed  that 
the  girl  carried  herself  gracefully.  It  was  also  curious  that 

88 


MISS   DERINGHAM    SLIGHTED 

she  was  not  wholly  pleased  when  Alton  went  forward  to 
greet  the  newcomer  with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  and,  she 
fancied,  offered  more  assistance  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary in  helping  her  down.  Then  they  entered  the  verandah 
together,  and  Alice  Deringham  smiled  in  a  fashion  which 
did  not  pledge  her  to  any  extreme  good-will  when  Alton 
presented  the  stranger. 

"  Miss  Townshead,  from  the  ranch  back  yonder,"  he 
said. 

Miss  Deringham  said  something  of  no  importance,  and 
waited  with  slightly  unusual  curiosity  for  the  girl's  answer, 
which  somewhat  astonished  her.  The  voice  was  nicely 
modulated,  and  the  intonation  free  from  Western  harshness 
and  unmistakably  English. 

"  You  will  come  over  and  see  us.  It  is  a  long  time  since 
we  had  a  visit  from  anybody  from  England,"  she  said.  "  Are 
you  pleased  with  this  country  ?  " 

Miss  Deringham  glanced  at  Alton.  "  I  grow  almost 
enthusiastic  about  it  at  times,"  she  said.  "  Its  inhabitants 
are  also  especially  kind." 

The  man  did  not,  however,  respond  as  he  might  have 
done.  "  It's  a  tolerably  good  country,"  he  said  gravely,  and 
then  glanced  at  the  stranger.  "  Nothing  wrong  at  the 
ranch,  I  hope,  Miss  Nellie  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl.  "  We  have,  however,  heard  that 
Jack  is  seriously  ill,  and  I  rode  over  because  the  spotted  steer 
has  broken  away,  and  I  found  the  trail  led  into  the  Somasco 
valley.  It  was  one  of  the  beasts  father  was  sending  down 
to  sell." 

Alton  became  suddenly  intent.  "  Then  it  has  not  gone 
far.  I  saw  its  trail  an  hour  ago,"  he  said.  "  Well,  we  must 
head  the  beast  off  before  it  gets  into  the  thick  timber  under 
the  range,  and  there's  no  time  to  lose.  I'll  be  ready  in 
two  minutes.  Would  you  like  to  follow  with  Charley,  Miss 
Deringham  ?  " 

The  time  had  scarcely  been  exceeded  when  he  led  a 
horse  out  of  the  stable,  held  his  hand  out  for  Miss  Towns- 
head  to  mount  by,  and  then  swung  himself  to  the  saddle. 
Then  he  and  the  girl  swung  across  the  clearing  at  a  gallop, 
and  Alice  Deringham  endeavoured  to  assure  herself  that 

89 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

she  was  not  angry.  It  appeared  that  her  angling  was  of 
considerably  less  importance  than  the  capture  of  the  steer. 

It  was  possibly  for  this  reason  that  she  was  unusually 
gracious  to  Seaforth,  who  came  along  just  then,  and  though 
evidently  in  some  haste,  stopped  to  talk  to  her ;  while  when 
she  had  promised  to  accompany  him  to  witness  the  chase, 
and  he  strode  away  towards  the  stable,  her  father  sauntered 
out  of  the  house  and  glanced  in  her  direction  whimsically. 

"  It  occurs  to  me  that  one  of  us  is  responsible  for  some 
irregularity  in  the  work  upon  this  ranch,  and  that  the  beast 
it  a  trifle  uncertain  in  his  moods,"  said  he. 

"  It  is,"  said  his  daughter,  "  a  little  difficult  to  understand 
you." 

Deringham  pointed  to  the  two  mounted  figures  just 
entering  the  brush,  and  the  girl  fancied  that  something 
had  ruffled  him.  He  could  be  unpleasant  when  that 
happened. 

"Alton  of  Somasco  is  a  somewhat  busy  man,  but  both 
he  and  his  partner  seem  to  have  suspended  their  energies 
this  morning,"  he  said.  "  No  doubt  wild-beast  taming  has 
its  fascination,  but  one  might  fancy  it  was  apt  to  prove  a 
somewhat  disconcerting  and  perilous  amusement." 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  the  girl  in  a  tone  of  languid  inquiry. 

Deringham  nodded.  "  One  can  never  tell  when  the  beast 
may  revert  to  his  primitive  instincts,  and  do  something 
unpleasant,"  he  said.  "  This  one  is  also  evidently  of  some- 
what uncertain  temperament.  We  are  told  that  Una  had 
a  lion,  but  the  effect  of  the  story  would  have  been  diminished 
if  it  had  been  recorded  that  the  king  of  the  forest  divided  his 
allegiance." 

Miss  Deringham  was  now  convinced  that  her  father  was 
not  pleased.  "  I  have  not  noticed  anything  especially  leonine 
about  Mr.  Seaforth,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Deringham  dryly.  "  The  Honourable  Charley 
appears  to  be  an  admirable  young  man  of  the  domestic 
feline  species,  but  I  don't  know  of  any  reason  that  would 
make  it  advisable  to  waste  powder  and  shot  over  him." 

Miss  Deringham  rose  languidly,  but  her  father  felt  he 
had  gone  as  far  as  was  desirable,  and  went  back  to  grapple 
with  a  financial  difficulty  from  which  he  could  see  only  one 

90 


MISS  DERINGHAM   SLIGHTED 

escape,  while  she  rode  away  with  Seaforth,  who  led  out  the 
horse  reserved  for  her  use.  Alice  Deringham  could  ride, 
but  when  they  left  the  clearing  and  plunged  into  the  bush 
she  found  that  all  she  had  been  taught  in  England  was 
not  much  use  in  British  Columbia.  There  was  no  per- 
ceptible trail,  and  the  horses  floundered  round  great  fallen 
trees,  and  plunged  smashing  through  thickets  of  black  rasp- 
berry and  barberry.  In  places  their  flanks  were  brushed 
by  tall,  black-stemmed  fern,  and  where  the  forest  was  more 
open  treacherous  gravel  slipped  beneath  the  hoofs  that 
sank  from  sight  amidst  the  blood-red  clusters  of  the  little 
wineberry.  After  an  hour  of  it  the  girl  was  shaken  and 
breathless,  and  she  contemplated  her  habit  somewhat  rue- 
fully when  Seaforth  drew  bridle.  Somewhere  far  up  on  a 
hill  shoulder  there  was  a  smashing  in  the  bush. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  have  not  lost  the  way  ?  "  she  said. 
"  It  seems  impossible  for  horses  or  cattle  to  get  through 
this  forest." 

Seaforth  laughed.  "  The  bush  is  really  thin  here,"  he 
said.  "  Anybody  used  to  it  could  get  through  at  a  gallop, 
while  a  good  bushman  could  scarcely  make  five  miles  a  day 
walking  where  it's  tolerably  thick.  I  wonder  if  you  know 
that  the  ox  was  originally  a  denizen  of  the  bush.  I  didn't 
until  Harry  told  me.  It  always  seemed  to  me  a  tranquil 
beast  adapted  for  sober  locomotion  on  nice  green  grass." 

"And  isn't  it?"  said  the  girl  with  indifference  in  her 
eyes.  "  Mr.  Alton  is  an  authority  on  cattle  ?  " 

"  Harry,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling,  "  is,  although  one  might 
not  always  fancy  so,  a  complete  encyclopaedia  on  every- 
thing useful.  Anyway,  from  the  sound  up  yonder  you 
will  presently  see  some  of  the  primitive  habits  of  the  genius 
bos,  and  the  spectacle  may  be  the  more  interesting  because 
the  beast  will  if  possible  head  away  up  that  valley  into 
fastnesses  where  only  a  prehistoric  man  with  a  tail  could 
follow  it." 

Alice  Deringham  said  nothing  further  and  was  glad  of 
the  rest.  They  had  pulled  their  horses  up  on  the  slope  of  a 
hill  which  formed  one  side  of  a  hollow  out  of  which  several 
valleys  opened.  There  were  great  trees  about  them,  and  it 
was  only  here  and  there  a  ray  of  sunlight  pierced  the  dim 

91 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

green  shadow,  while  below  them  a  stream  went  frothing 
down  a  miniature  canon  whose  banks  were  cumbered  by 
fallen  timber.  It  was,  the  girl  fancied,  an  especially  difficult 
place  for  a  horseman  to  pick  his  way  through. 

Meanwhile  the  sound  above  grew  louder,  and  presently  an 
object  apparently  travelling  like  a  thunderbolt  came  out  of 
the  shadow.  It  was,  notwithstanding  the  speed  it  made, 
gambolling  playfully,  with  head  tossed  sideways  and  tail 
in  the  air,  and  when  Miss  Deringham  fancied  it  must  turn 
aside  for  a  tangled  brake,  went  smashing  straight  through  it. 
As  it  emerged  with  an  exultant  flourish  of  head  and  tail 
two  other  objects  became  visible  behind  it,  and  Seaforth 
pushed  forward  when  the  mounted  figures  came  sweeping 
down  the  mountain  side.  Here  and  there  they  swung  wide 
round  a  fallen  tree,  but  they  rode  straight  through  rasp- 
berry-canes and  breast-high  fern,  and  Alice  Deringham 
wondered  when  she  saw  that  one  of  them  was  a  girl.  She 
had  left  her  hat  somewhere  in  the  bush,  her  hair  streamed 
about  her,  the  skirt  was  blown  aside ;  but  she  held  on  with 
set  lips  and  two  vivid  spots  of  colour  in  her  warm-tinted 
face,  a  length  or  two  behind  her  companion.  He  was  riding 
hard,  and  there  was  a  red  smear  across  his  face  where  a 
branch  had  smote  him. 

Miss  Deringham  turned  to  watch  them,  realizing  that 
whatever  the  steer  risked,  its  pursuers  were  in  peril  of  life 
and  limb.  Sometimes  one  horse  rose  above  fern  and  thicket, 
or  twisted,  apparently  with  the  sinuosity  of  a  snake,  in  and 
out  amidst  the  clustered  trunks,  while  once  the  girl  lurched 
forward.  Miss  Deringham  gasped,  but  part  of  the  fluttering 
skirt  was  rent  away,  and  the  little  lithe  figure  swept  on  again. 
The  pair  were,  it  was  evident,  closing  with  the  steer,  and  the 
latter  apparently  cut  off  from  the  valley  it  made  for  by  the 
ravine.  This  was  not,  however,  to  prove  an  insuperable 
obstacle,  for  as  Miss  Deringham  with  difficulty  edged  her 
horse  nearer,  the  beast  charged  straight  at  the  hollow,  and 
dropped  into  it.  Then,  while  she  regarded  its  capture  as 
certain,  it  rose  into  view  again,  and  floundered  up  the 
almost  vertical  slope  on  the  other  side  with  no  very  obvious 
difficulty.  Miss  Deringham,  who  found  this  riding  down 
of  a  Canadian  steer  almost  as  exciting  as  anything  she  had 

92 


MISS   DERINGHAM   SLIGHTED 

seen  when  following  the  English  hounds,  regretted  that  the 
ravine  with  its  fringe  of  undergrowth  and  litter  of  netted 
branches  must  apparently  put  a  stop  to  the  pursuit. 
Though  the  width  was  not  great,  no  horse,  she  fancied, 
would  be  expected  to  face  it,  and  she  watched  the  two 
figures  flitting  amidst  the  trunks  to  see  when  they  would 
pull  up. 

There  was,  however,  no  sign  that  they  intended  to  do  so, 
and  Miss  Deringham  gasped  a  little  when  Alton  glanced 
for  a  moment  over  his  shoulder. 

"  Pull  him !  "  his  voice  reached  her  hoarsely,  and  she  held 
her  breath  as  she  saw  the  man's  hand  move  on  the  bridle 
and  his  heels  pressed  home.  The  horse  swung  clear  of 
the  thicket,  plunged  with  head  down,  flung  it  up,  and 
straightened  itself  again;  there  was  a  drumming  of  hoofs, 
and  man  and  beast  had  shot  forward  from  the  bank.  It 
seemed  an  appreciable  time  before  they  came  down  amidst 
the  fern,  and  then  Miss  Deringham  drew  in  her  breath  with 
a  little  sibilant  sigh. 

"  Oh ! "  she  said  softly,  and  there  was  a  great  smashing 
as  man  and  beast  reeled  through  a  brake  on  the  other  side. 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth,  "  it  was  a  tolerably  risky  thing, 
but  it  takes  a  good  deal  to  turn  Harry.  Where's  Nellie 
Townshead  now  ?  " 

"  There,"  said  Miss  Deringham,  instinctively  clenching 
her  bridle.  "  Surely  the  girl  cannot  be  going  to  try  it." 

"  Good  Lord ! "  said  Seaforth  under  his  breath,  and  the 
second  figure  rushed  with  streaming  skirt  and  hair  at  the 
gap  cleared  by  Alton's  passage. 

Then  the  man  turned  his  head,  and  it  was  a  moment 
before  he  looked  round  again,  very  white  in  face.  "  Thank 
Heaven !  "  he  said  hoarsely.  "  She's  over." 

Miss  Deringham  glanced  at  him  curiously,  and  then 
laughed  a  little.  "  Miss  Townshead  is  evidently  a  deter- 
mined young  woman,"  she  said,  with  something  in  her 
manner  which  led  Seaforth  to  fancy  that  this  was  not  in- 
tended as  a  compliment.  "  But  what  is  Mr.  Alton  doing?  " 

"  Getting  the  rope  ready,"  said  Seaforth.  "  It's  scarcely 
used  in  this  country,  but  Harry  once  did  some  stock-riding 
on  the  prairie.  We'll  push  on  a  little." 

93 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

It  became  evident  as  they  did  so  that  the  position 
favoured  the  pursuers  now.  A  rock  it  was  apparently  in- 
capable of  climbing  prevented  the  flight  of  the  steer  in  one 
direction,  and  Miss  Townshead  had  ridden  forward  ready  to 
turn  the  beast  if  it  attempted  escape  in  another.  It  stopped 
with  lowered  head  as  though  meditating  an  onslaught  upon 
her,  then  wheeled  again  and  came  back  towards  Alton,  who 
rose  a  trifle  in  his  stirrups,  whirling  the  rope  about  his  head. 
It  shot  forward  presently,  uncoiling  in  a  curve,  and  then  the 
man  swung  backwards,  wheeling  his  horse,  and  there  was  a 
crash  as  the  steer  went  down  amidst  the  fern. 

"  That  should  take  a  good  deal  of  the  friskiness  out  of  it," 
said  Seaforth.  "  We'll  go  across  and  join  them.  There's 
a  way  over  somewhere." 

The  steer  was  roped  to  a  tree  when  they  came  up  with  the 
pair,  and  Seaforth  noticed  with  some  inward  amusement  the 
way  in  which  the  two  girls  glanced  at  each  other,  and  the 
contrast  between  them.  Miss  Deringham  was  almost  too 
serene,  and,  he  fancied,  might  have  stepped  out  of  a  picture. 
Miss  Townshead's  cheeks  were  crimson,  her  skirt  was  rent, 
and,  though  she  had  evidently  found  opportunity  to  effect 
some  alteration,  loose  wisps  of  hair  still  hung  about  her 
shoulders.  They  were,  however,  of  a  fine  silky  brown,  and 
it  seemed  to  Seaforth,  might  have  been  arranged  in  a  more 
unbecoming  fashion. 

"  I  wonder  if  I  might  venture  to  congratulate  you.  We 
seldom  witness  horsemanship  of  this  description  in  Eng- 
land," said  Miss  Deringham,  with  an  inflection  in  her  voice 
which  Seaforth  guessed  the  meaning  of,  and  seemed  to 
bring  a  slightly  warmer  tinge  into  the  already  carmine 
cheeks  of  the  girl. 

Still,  she  looked  at  the  speaker  with  a  little  smile. 
"  There  is  a  difference  between  the  two  countries,  and  the 
scarcity  of  dollars  in  this  one  explains  a  good  deal,"  she 
said. 

Alton  glanced  at  both  of  them  with  a  slightly  bewildered 
expression.  "Of  course!"  said  he.  "The  thing's  quite 
simple.  That  steer  is  worth  so  many  dollars  to  Miss 
Townshead's  father,  and  he  couldn't  afford  to  lose  them." 

Alice  Deringham  turned  aside   with  a  just  perceptible 

94 


MISS   DERINGHAM   SLIGHTED 

gesture  of  impatience,  which  Seaforth  noticed  and  fancied 
he  understood,  though  it  was  not  apparent  to  the  others, 
and  while  she  rode  on  with  him,  Alton  appeared  thoughtful 
as  he  did  something  to  his  bridle.  When  he  had  finished 
it  he  saw  that  his  companion  was  smiling  at  him. 

"  It  seems  to  me  there  are  a  good  many  things  I  don't 
know,"  said  he. 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  girl  lightly.  "  Still,  I  don't  think 
I  would  worry  over  them  if  I  were  you.  They  are  very 
trivial!" 

Alton  nodded  sagely,  and  odd  fragments  of  his  con- 
versation reached  Miss  Deringham.  "  We'll  send  someone 
back  for  the  steer,"  he  said.  "  Jack's  no  better  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  little  quiver  in  her  voice. 
"  I  am  afraid  the  work  is  too  hard  for  him  up  there." 

Alton  seemed  thoughtful.  "  I  wonder  if  he  would  come 
down  and  do  something  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I  could  find 
a  use  for  another  man  or  two,  you  see." 

Again  the  little  flush  of  crimson  crept  into  Miss  Towns- 
head's  cheeks.  "  I  don't  think  so ;  he  seems  to  fancy  he 
can  get  into  the  C.  P.  R.  service  when  he  is  better." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  I'm  going  to  take  a  liberty.  Jack 
wouldn't  have  gone  up  yonder  if  you  hadn't  wanted  the 
dollars?" 

Nellie  Townshead  looked  down  a  moment,  then  swiftly 
raised  her  head,  and  though  her  fingers  seemed  to  tighten 
on  the  bridle  there  was  a  curious  steadiness  in  her  eyes. 
"  There  is,"  she  said,  "  no  use  in  denying  what  everybody 
knows." 

Alton  nodded.  "  I  know  that  kind  of  worry,  and  it's  a 
bad  one.  Has  Hallam  got  a  hold  upon  the  ranch  ?  " 

Miss  Townshead  appeared  astonished,  and  did  not 
answer  for  a  moment.  "  I  fancied  you  did  not  know,  but 
he  has,"  she  said.  "  He  came  up  to  see  my  father  a  week 
ago,  and  that  is  why  we  are  selling  the  stock." 

Alton's  face  darkened.  "  That  man's  of  the  same  breed 
as  the  panther,  only  the  panther  lets  up  when  he's  full. 
Well,  you  needn't  tell  me  any  more.  Interest's  high  in 
this  country,  but  it's  a  pity  your  father " 

He  stopped  a  moment,  and  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed 

95 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

when  the  girl  regarded  him  with  a  little  flash  in  her  eyes. 
"  My  father  has  done  his  best,"  she  said. 

"  Of  course !  "  said  Alton  hastily.  "  Well,  now,  Hallam 
wants  your  ranch,  and  when  that  man  wants  a  thing  it's 
bad  to  keep  him  from  getting  it,  but  it  wouldn't  please  me 
to  see  him  take  the  ranch.  I  wonder  if  you  can  figure 
what  his  next  move  will  be  ?  " 

The  girl's  fingers  trembled,  but  there  was  patience  and 
courage  in  her  eyes.  "  I  am  afraid  I  can,"  said  she.  "  We 
shall  be  sold  up  and  driven  out  very  shortly." 

Alton  shook  his  head.  "  I  wouldn't  count  too  much 
on  that.  Hallam's  bad  all  through,  but  there  are  one  or 
two  other  men  who  will  have  a  finger  in  what's  going  to 
be  made  out  of  this  country,  and  it  would  be  a  favour  if 
when  he  shuts  down  on  you,  you  send  word  to  me." 

The  girl  did  not  look  at  the  man,  but  rode  silent  for 
a  while.  "  I  think  I  understand  you,  and  you  are  very 
kind — but  it  is  impossible." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  grimly.  "  You  don't  understand  me. 
There's  not  room  enough  up  here  for  Hallam  and  me, 
and  I've  a  deal  to  square  off  with  him  already.  Now  when 
you  get  your  notice  you  will  send  word  to  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  as  one  making  a  swift  decision,  and 
there  was  a  sudden  flash  of  hope  in  her  eyes. 

"  That  is  a  bargain,"  said  Alton,  with  the  little  soft  laugh 
of  his.  "  Then  when  the  deal's  fixed  up  all  the  winnings 
will  not  be  counted  over  by  Mr.  Hallam." 

Miss  Deringham  heard  nothing  further,  and  understood 
very  little  of  what  had  reached  her,  while  though  unusually 

fracious  to  Seaforth  she  found  him  distinctly  unresponsive, 
he,  however,  lent,  Miss  Townshead  a  hat  when  they 
reached  the  ranch,  and  made  no  comment  when  Seaforth 
rode  home  with  her.  It  was  late  that  night  when  the 
latter  found  Alton  smoking  in  a  somewhat  dubious  mood 
upon  the  verandah. 

"  Is  there  anything  worrying  you  ?  "  said  he. 
"Oh,  yes,"  said  Alton  grimly.     "There's  work  of  all 
kinds  waiting,  and  nothing  done  to-day.     Somehow  women 
seem  to  play  the  devil  with  a  man's  plans,  Charley." 
"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth,  "  they  not  infrequently  do." 

96 


MISS  DERINGHAM   SLIGHTED 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  I  wouldn't  mind  so  much  if  I'd 
pleased  anybody,  but  I  haven't,  you  see.  I  was  talking  at 
large  about  something  after  we'd  got  the  steer,  when  Miss 
Nellie  turned  right  round  on  me.  Then  I  came  back  here, 
and  Miss  Deringham  didn't  seem  pleased  with  me." 

"  Did  she  tell  you  so  ?  "  said  Seaforth,  smiling,  and  Alton 
turned  upon  him  savagely. 

"  No,  sir,  she  did  not,"  said  he.  "  Anyway,  it  wasn't 
necessary.  You  understand  these  folks  from  the  old 
country,  Charley  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  Seaforth  dryly,  "  a  tolerably  bold  venture 
to  assert  that  one  understands  anybody." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  you  know  what  I  mean.  Now  do 
you  think  Miss  Deringham  was  vexed  because  she  didn't 
get. that  fishing?  You  see  she  is  tolerably  keen  on  it.  Of 
course,  if  I  had  thought  of  it  I  might  have  sent  you  with 
her." 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  "  I  should  scarcely  fancy 
that  was  the  reason,  and  I  don't  fancy  the  arrangement 
suggested  would  have  given  Miss  Deringham  any  great 
pleasure.  Nor  do  I  think  I  should  have  gone." 

"  No  ?  "  said  Alton  inquiringly. 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth  dryly.  "  I'm  not  Alton  of  Somasco 
— and  Carnaby — you  see." 

Alton  regarded  him  sternly  out  of  half-closed  eyes. 
"  There  are  jokes  that  don't  please  me,  Charley,"  he  said, 
and  then  laughed  softly.  "  I'm  a  fool  with  a  red-hot  temper, 
but  it's  a  consolation  that  I  know  a  bigger  one  than  me." 

"You  need  not  be  bashful,  Harry.     You  mean  me?" 

Alton  nodded  as  he  turned  upon  his  heel,  and  Seaforth 
watched  him  meditatively.  "  I  wish  I  was  as  sure  of  it 
as  you  seem  to  be,"  said  he.  "  Well,  I'm  occasionally 
thankful  I'm  not  a  rich  man,  nor  much  of  a  beauty." 


97 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  UNDELIVERED  MESSAGE 

THE  afternoon  was  slipping  by  when,  some  time  after 
the  capture  of  the  steer,  Alice  Deringham  sat  waiting  for 
Alton  under  a  big  fir.  He  had  promised  to  take  her  out 
upon  the  lake,  and  the  little  breeze  that  stirred  the  cedars 
to  drowsy  music  would,  she  knew,  ripple  the  shining  sur- 
face and  render  the  capture  of  a  big  trout  the  less  proble- 
matical. The  trout  of  British  Columbia  are  also  at  least 
equal  to  those  of  England  in  their  faculties  of  discrimina- 
tion and  observation,  and  during  the  listless  autumn  days 
Miss  Deringham's  angling  had  not  been  especially  suc- 
cessful. Still,  though  she  not  infrequently  returned  with 
an  empty  basket,  the  girl  apparently  retained  an  enthusiasm 
for  it  she  had  not  always  displayed  at  home. 

The  lake  she  declared  was  beautiful,  and  this  was  be- 
yond contravention,  while  even  when  no  splash  disturbed 
its  mirror-like  shining  she  found  it  pleasant  to  slide  across 
its  black  depths  in  a  light  canoe.  She  knew,  and  so  did 
Alton,  that  under  those  conditions  the  silver  and  vermilion 
lure  would  have  been  quite  as  useful  in  the  bottom  of  the 
craft,  but  the  man  usually  seemed  too  content  to  lazily  dip 
the  paddle  while  the  girl  would  lead  him  on  to  talk  with 
judicious  questions.  Alton  could  on  occasion  talk  well, 
displaying  a  vigour  and  freshness  of  thought  which  at  the 
commencement  had  slightly  astonished  his  companion,  who 
found  a  curious  pleasure  in  sounding  this  and  that  depth 
of  his  nature. 

As  a  rule,  he  responded  readily,  and  she  was  conscious 
of  the  same  sense  of  power  that  a  master  of  the  organ 
might  feel  as  his  fingers  touched  the  stops  and  keys.  Alton 
had  lived  simply  in  close  touch  with  nature,  and  though 
he  had  read  much,  his  thoughts  had  something  of  the 

98 


THE  UNDELIVERED  MESSAGE 

pristine  purity  and  vigour  of  the  land  he  dwelt  in,  and  were 
in  a  fashion  musical;  but  now  and  then  the  girl  venturing 
overfar  chanced  upon  a  chord  that  rang  harsh  and  dis- 
cordant, and  shrinking  a  little  recognized,  she  fancied,  the 
undertone  of  primitive  barbarity. 

On  the  afternoon  in  question  she  was,  however,  slightly 
angry  with  him.  He  had  fixed  no  special  time,  but  she 
had  waited  some  while,  and  Alice  Deringham  preferred 
that  other  people  should  wait  for  her.  She  had  also  taken 
some  pains  with  her/>toilet  and  though  her  attire  was  neat 
in  place  of  ornate,  its  simplicity  was  the  result  of  lavish 
expenditure  and  artistic  selection.  To  some  extent,  and 
so  far  as  she  could  ascertain  it,  it  was  also  in  accord- 
ance with  the  taste  of  the  man  who  was  to  accompany 
her. 

It  was  very  still.  Nobody  moved  in  the  clearing,  though 
from  beyond  it  rose  the  faint  humming  of  saws,  and  the 
little  breeze  was  heavy  with  a  resinous  fragrance.  The 
log-house  was  silent  save  for  an  occasional  clatter  from  the 
kitchen  where  Mrs.  Margery  was  apparently  busy.  Alice 
Deringham  did  not  like  Mrs.  Margery,  and  had  reason  to 
believe  the  latter  returned  the  feeling,  though  she  had 
noticed  that  the  somewhat  grim  old  lady  had  a  smile  that 
was  almost  gentle  for  rancher  Townshead's  daughter. 
Presently  the  rattle  of  plates  also  ceased,  and  the  girl  found 
the  silence  exasperating.  The  time  was  slipping  by,  and 
there  was  still  no  sign  of  Alton. 

At  last,  however,  there  was  a  thud  of  horsehoofs  in  the 
orchard,  and  a  man  rode  out  from  among  the  trees,  but 
Miss  Deringham,  who  had  risen  with  a  smile,  shut  the 
fingers  of  one  hand  a  trifle  viciously  when  she  saw  that  it 
was  not  Alton.  The  man  sat  loosely  in  his  saddle,  and  his 
face  was  a  trifle  flushed  when  he  pulled  the  horse  up. 

"  Is  Harry  Alton  anywhere  around,  miss  ?  "  he  said,  and 
the  girl  noticed  that  his  voice  was  uneven. 

"  He  may  be  here  presently,"  she  said.  "  I  don't  know 
where  he  is." 

"  I've  a  long  way  to  ride,  and  can't  wait  for  him,"  said 
the  man,  swaying  a  little  as  he  gathered  up  the  bridle. 
"There  seems  to  be  nobody  around  the  place,  and  when 

99 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

he  comes  you  might  tell  him  to  go  up  to  Townshead's  as 
soon  as  he  can.  Miss  Nellie's  wanting  to  see  him,  and  it's 
Thursday." 

"Thursday?"  said  Miss  Deringham. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man.  "  Harry  will  understand.  There 
was  some  more  about  it,  but  I've  forgotten  it.  Well,  you'll 
tell  him  I  must  be  getting  on." 

He  lurched  when  the  horse  started,  and  though  most 
men  are  abstemious  in  that  country,  Alice  Deringham  de- 
cided that  he  was  under  the  influence  of  alcohol.  She  also 
felt  distinctly  displeased  with  him  for  bringing  his  mes- 
sage before  she  and  Alton  had  set  out  for  the  lake.  It 
was  a  favourable  afternoon  for  fishing,  and  not  pleasant 
to  reflect  that  her  amusement  must  be  deferred  at  the 
bidding  of  the  girl  from  the  ranch.  Then  she  decided  that 
as  Alton  would  not  have  received  the  message  had  he  come 
when  she  expected  him,  it  would  not  make  any  great  dif- 
ference if  he  did  not  hear  it  until  their  return.  Miss  Der- 
ingham did  not  remember  by  what  reasoning  she  arrived  at 
that  result,  but  it  seemed  to  her  distinctly  more  fitting  that 
Miss  Townshead  should  be  the  one  to  wait. 

Ten  minutes  later  Alton  rode  up  at  a  gallop.  "  Sorry 
I  couldn't  come  before,  but  I  was  over  at  Thomson's  bor- 
rowing a  new  trolling  spoon,"  he  said.  "  Jimmy's  too  slow 
for  anything,  and  I  had  to  look  at  a  span  of  oxen  he'd 
been  buying." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  leisureliness  is  a  characteristic  of 
the  country,"  said  the  girl. 

Alton  glanced  at  her  with  a  faint  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 
"  Now  if  you  feel  vexed  with  me,  look  at  the  horse,"  said 
he.  "  Anyway,  the  canoe's  ready  and  the  lake  all  rippling, 
and  I've  one  of  the  new  flight-hook  spoons." 

Miss  Deringham,  who  saw  the  spume  upon  the  bit  and 
the  horse's  whitened  sides,  smiled  graciously,  and  decided 
that  Nellie  Townshead's  message  could  very  well  wait 
until  the  evening. 

"  I  will  be  ready  in  about  five  minutes,"  she  said. 

She  kept  the  man  waiting  twenty,  possibly  because  she 
believed  it  would  be  a  salutary  discipline,  and  was  not 
displeased  to  notice  that  he  stamped  impatiently  up  and 

100 


THE   UNDELIVERED   MESSAGE 

down.  Then  she  went  down  with  him  to  the  lake,  and  it 
was  dusk  when  they  returned  with  several  fine  trout,  in 
the  state  of  content  with  each  other  which  occasionally 
characterizes  comrades  in  a  successful  angling  expedition. 
They  had  also  so  much  to  talk  about  that  Miss  Deringham 
completely  forgot  the  message,  and  her  pleasure  was  only 
dissipated  when  she  met  her  father  alone  for  a  minute. 
His  pose  expressed  dejection  and  indecision  as  he  came 
towards  her  along  the  verandah. 

"  You  do  not  look  well,"  she  said. 

"  That,"  said  Deringham  dryly,  "  is  quite  possible. 
Things  are  not  going  well  with  me  just  now." 

"  Business  worries  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

Deringham  nodded.  "  And  domestic  too,  if  the  affairs 
of  Carnaby  come  under  that  heading.  In  fact,  I  am 
hemmed  in  by  difficulties  I  cannot  see  a  way  through,  and 
to  make  it  worse  Alton  will  come  to  no  decision  until 
he  has  sent  somebody  over  to  report  upon  the  property. 
I  have  wondered  now  and  then  if  he  was  talking  altogether 
at  random  when  he  told  you  that  he  was  willing  to  give 
it  you." 

"  Of  course ! "  said  his  daughter,  smiling  outwardly  to 
cover  her  indignation.  "  It  would  be  preposterous  to  think 
that  I  could  accept  such  a  favour  even  if  he  had  the  slight- 
est intention  of  relinquishing  his  claim ! " 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham  dryly.  "  Still,  I  fancy  there  are 
young  women  who  would  not  disdain  to  be  mistress  of 
Carnaby." 

The  girl  straightened  herself  a  little,  and  the  colour 
crept  into  her  face.  "  Do  not  be  foolish,  father.  You 
cannot  fancy  that  the  man  was  speaking  seriously." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Deringham.  "  I  am  not  sure  that 
he  does  himself,  and  if  you  do  not,  there  is  an  end  of  the 
affair.  Still,  if  there  had  been  anything  in  the  speech 
the  possibility  alluded  to  would  have  lifted  a  great  load 
from  me." 

He  said  nothing  further,  but  passed  on,  leaving  the 
girl  standing  on  the  verandah  with  head  bent  a  trifle,  and 
a  face  that  was  less  cold  in  colouring  than  usual.  Presently, 
however,  she  stood  upright  suddenly  as  Alton  came  up  the 

101 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

stairway,  but  not  before  he  had  seen  her.  After  a  swift 
glance  at  her  he  put  his  hand  gently  on  her  shoulder. 

"You  are  in  some  trouble.  Can't  you  tell  me  what  it 
is  ?  "  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  could  just  see  his  face  in  the  moon- 
light, and  it  was  gravely  compassionate,  but  there  was  in 
it  none  of  the  personal  admiration  she  had  sometimes 
noticed  there,  which  had  its  effect  upon  her  attitude  towards 
him.  He  was,  she  felt,  sorry  for  her  because  she  was  a 
woman  menaced  by  some  difficulty,  and  that  she  should 
be  an  object  of  pity  to  this  bush  rancher  stung  the 
pride,  of  which  she  had  a  good  deal.  Had  he  tendered 
his  sympathy  because  she  was  Alice  Deringham  it  is  pos- 
sible that  she  would  have  told  him  something,  though  not 
exactly  the  simple  state  of  the  case.  As  it  was,  however, 
she  shook  his  hand  off,  and  looked  at  him  with  a  sparkle 
in  her  eyes. 

"  Why  should  you  suppose  that,  and  venture  to  presume 
upon  it  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Would  it  be  presuming  ?  " 

"  It  would,"  said  the  girl  very  coldly. 

'"Then,"  said  Alton,  "you  can't  tell  me?" 

"  No,  of  course  not.    Is  there  any  reason  why  I  should?  " 

Here  at  least  was  an  opportunity,  but  if  the  man  desired 
to  gain  his  companion's  confidence  he  made  an  indifferent 
use  of  it.  "  We  are  some  kind  of  relations,  and  you  prom- 
ised to  be  friends  with  me,"  he  said. 

Miss  Deringham  laughed  a  little.  "  One  seldom  tells 
one's  troubles  to  one's  friends,"  she  said. 

Alton  seemed  to  sigh.  "  Then  there  is  nothing  I 
can  do?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Deringham.  "  People  are  usually  best 
alone  when  they  have  to  grapple  with  a  difficulty." 

Alton  still  lingered  a  moment.  "  If  you  don't  want  to 
tell  me,  I  don't  know  how  to  make  you,  and  I'm  sorry, 
because  I  might  fix  the  thing  up,"  he  said  gravely.  "  Well, 
I'm  going,  but  it  hurts  me  to  see  anything  worrying  you, 
and  know  that  somebody  else  has  brought  it  upon  you." 

"How  could  you  know  that?"  said  the  girl. 

The  man  smiled  a  little.     "  It's  quite  simple,"  said  he, 

102 


THE   UNDELIVERED   MESSAGE 

"  You  are  too  good  and  kind  to  bring  sorrow  upon  your- 
self or  anybody." 

This  was  much  better,  but  it  was  over-late  now,  and, 
for  the  girl  said  nothing,  he  moved  away,  and  presently 
met  Seaforth  as  he  strode  down  the  trail. 

"  Hallo ! "  said  the  latter.  "  Where  are  you  going, 
Harry?" 

"  I  know  where  you  can  go,"  said  Alton  grimly,  "  and 
that's  right  away  to  the  devil." 

Seaforth  laughed  a  little.  "And  that's  the  woman's 
work.  It's  a  pity  Harry  can't  distinguish  between  paste 
and  diamonds,"  said  he. 

It  happened  about  this  time  that  Miss  Townshead  sat 
in  an  attitude  of  expectancy  in  her  father's  house.  Towns- 
head,  still  wearing  the  red  velvet  jacket,  sat  in  the  old 
leather  chair,  with  the  resignation  of  the  incapable  stamped 
upon  him,  and  the  cigar  and  cup  of  coffee  close  by.  His 
attitude  seemed  to  imply  that  he  was  a  very  ill-used  man, 
but  had  discovered  that  it  was  no  use  protesting.  He 
sipped  his  coffee  delicately,  and  then  glanced  towards  his 
daughter  with  a  trace  of  irritation. 

"  I  wish  you  could  keep  still,  my  dear,"  he  said.  "  There 
is  an  inquietude  in  your  very  pose  that  unsettles  me,  and 
with  a  little  fortitude  one  can  get  used  to  anything.  For 
instance,  if  anybody  had  told  me  five  years  ago  that  I  could 
take  my  after-dinner  coffee  without  a  slight  flavour  of  old 
cognac  I  should  not  have  believed  them." 

Nellie  Townshead  evinced  a  little  impatience.  "  It  might 
be  slightly  more  difficult  to  dispense  with  the  dinner,  as 
well  as  the  coffee,  and  that  is  what  we  shall  probably  have 
to  do  presently,"  said  she.  "  Why  did  you  borrow  that 
money  from  Mr.  Hallam,  father?  Any  one  could  have 
seen  that  he  was  a  rascal,  and  I  believe  that  Mr.  Seaforth 
warned  you." 

Townshead  sighed.  "  The  difficulty,"  xhe  said,  "  is  to 
arrive  at  a  correct  decision  before  one  knows  what  will 
happen.  Afterwards,  it  is  comparatively  easy.  It  ap- 
peared desirable  to  buy  some  cattle,  and  that  I  should  visit 
Victoria,  where  I  made  an  unfortunate  speculation,  to 
recuperate  after  my  last  attack.  During  my  absence  Jack, 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

as  you  will  remember,  lost  some  of  the  cattle  and  misman- 
aged the  ranch.  Mr.  Seaforth  is  also  a  young  man  who 
occasionally  takes  too  much  upon  himself." 

The  girl  flushed  a  little.  "  Jack  worked  from  morning 
to  night,  and  if  we  had  spent  a  few  dollars  hiring  some- 
body to  help  him,  it  would  have  been  better  for  all  of  us," 
she  said.  "  That,  however,  is  not  the  question.  What  are 
we  to  do  when  we  are  turned  out  of  the  ranch,  as  we  shall 
be  very  shortly  ?  " 

"  There  is,"  said  Townshead,  "  no  use  in  anticipating 
unpleasant  probabilities.  We  will  in  the  first  place  go 
down  to  Vancouver,  where  I  fancy  you  will  be  able  to  earn 
a  moderate  sum  by  typewriting.  The  use  of  the  instrument 
is,  I  understand,  readily  acquired,  and  while  I  regret  the 
necessity  for  a  daughter  of  mine  to  follow  such  an  occupa- 
tion, the  emolument  appears  to  be  reasonable." 

Nellie  Townshead  smiled  somewhat  bitterly,  for  the  fact 
that  she  had  ridden  after  straying  cattle,  and  done  a  good 
many  things  that  women  do  not  usually  undertake  upon 
the  ranch,  had  apparently  escaped  her  father's  attention. 

"But  is  there  anything  you  could  do  in  Vancouver? 
You  have  no  great  knowledge  of  business,"  she  said. 

Townshead  smiled  wryly.  "  It  is,"  he  said,  "  a  pity  that 
I  have  so  much,  because  on  the  two  occasions  I  took  an 
interest  in  it  I  lost  a  good  deal  of  money.  There  is  noth- 
ing for  me  to  do  here,  at  least.  I  cannot  chop  big  trees." 

"  No,"  said  the  girl.  "  But  have  you  nothing  in  con- 
templation ?  " 

Townshead  shook  his  head  as  though  he  were  tired  of 
the  subject.  "  No,"  he  said  resignedly.  "  I  have  too  much 
regard  for  my  very  indifferent  health  to  worry  unnec- 
essarily." 

The  girl  sighed  a  little,  and  felt  very  helpless,  knowing 
that  the  task  of  maintaining  both  would  devolve  upon  her 
and  her  brother.  She  was  a  dutiful  daughter,  but  she 
occasionally  found  it  difficult  to  maintain  her  respect  for 
her  father.  Had  he  been  beaten  down  after  a  stubborn 
struggle  she  would  with  almost  fierce  loyalty  have  been 
proud  of  him ;  but  Townshead,  who  spent  most  of  his  time 
safeguarding  his  constitution,  had  never  fought  at  all.  Con- 

104 


THE   UNDELIVERED   MESSAGE 

flict  of  any  kind  jarred  upon  him.  Answering  nothing,  she 
sat  still  listening,  until  at  last  a  tramp  of  horsehoofs  be- 
came audible.  Somebody  was  riding  that  way,  but  there 
was  another  ranch  farther  up  the  valley,  and  her  pulses 
throbbed  when  her  strained  senses  told  her  that  the  horse- 
man had  reached  the  forking  of  the  trail.  If  he  passed  on 
the  blow  she  shrank  from  might  be  suspended  a  little  longer. 

The  man  did  not,  however,  pass  by,  but  turned  into  the 
home  trail,  and  she  rose  with  a  little  shiver  when  there 
was  a  knocking  at  the  door.  A  man  stood  outside  it  with 
a  horse  behind  him,  and  a  paper  in  his  hand,  while  his 
dress  betrayed  him  as  one  from  the  cities.  He  was  also 
young,  and  appeared  considerably  embarrassed,  but  he  took 
off  his  hat  and  made  the  girl  a  little  bow.  She  flung  the 
door  open,  and  stood-  very  straight  and  still  before  him. 

"  You  may  come  in,"  she  said. 

The  stranger  glanced  at  her  swiftly,  and  Nellie  Towns- 
head  was  somewhat  astonished  to  see  the  blood  mantle  to 
his  forehead.  "  Very  sorry,  but  I  see  you  guess  who  I 
am,"  he  said,  with  a  crisp,  English  intonation.  "  I  am 
here  to — well,  you  understand — on  behalf  of  Mr.  Hallam, 
but  I  really  wouldn't  be  if  I  could  help  it." 

"  You  can  put  your  horse  in  the  stable,  and  then  I  will 
give  you  some  supper,"  said  the  girl,  in  a  coldly  even  tone. 
"  There  is  still  a  little  to  eat  here,  and  you  must  be  hungry.'7 

The  man  appeared  dubious,  and  stood  still  a  moment, 
then  touched  his  hat  again  when  he  saw  the  crimson  flame 
higher  in  the  cheeks  of  the  girl. 

"  Of  course,"  he  said ;    "  I'm  going." 

Nellie  Townshead  laughed  bitterly.  "  If  I  had  intended 
to  shut  you  out  I  should  scarcely  have  asked  you  in,"  she 
said. 

The  young  man  came  back  in  a  few-  minutes,  and  by 
that  time  there  were  a  few  plates  upon  the  table.  He  sat 
down,  and  then  stood  up  once  more  when  he  saw  the  girl 
standing  close  by  with  a  tray. 

"  You  must  let  me  wait  upon  myself,"  said  he.  "  Dur- 
ing the  course  of  my  last  ranching  visit  they  set  savage 
dogs  on  me,  and  I  wouldn't  trouble  you,  only  that  I've 
ridden  fifty  miles,  and  am  very  hungry." 

105 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

The  girl  seemed  to  soften,  for  she  saw  he  was  talking 
at  random  to  cover  her  embarrassment  as  well  as  his  own. 
"  You  are  an  Englishman  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Yes/'  said  the  stranger.  "  I'm  not  especially  proud 
of  it  just  now,  but,  you  see,  a  man  must  live." 

Townshead  looked  up  from  his  chair.  "  I  fancy  that  is 
a  slightly  mistaken  sentiment.  Some  men  are  better  dead, 
and  I  occasionally  feel  tempted  to  include  myself  in  the 
category." 

The  young  man  smiled  a  little.  "  The  Frenchman  put 
it  a  trifle  more  concisely,  sir,"  he  said. 

Townshead  nodded.  "  Still,  he  was  correct.  I  don't 
mind  admitting  that  I  looked  forward  to  your  visit  with 
apprehension,  but  I  now  fancy  you  will  not  jar  upon  me 
so  much  as  I  expected." 

The  stranger  glanced  at  Miss  Townshead,  who,  though 
she  wished  to,  could  not  quite  check  a  smile.  He  was  very 
young,  and  had  a  pleasant  face.  "  That  was  very  kind  of 
you,"  he  said.  "  Now,  I  think  the  least  that  I  can  do  is  to 
retire  to  the  barn  or  stable.  I  have  some  blankets,  and  can 
make  myself  comfortable." 

He  went  out,  knocking  over  a  cup  in  his  haste,  and  the 
girl  sat  still  and  laughed.  There  was  not  a  great  deal  of 
merriment  in  her  laughter,  and  the  tears  were  close  behind 
it,  but  it  was  a  relief.  Townshead,  however,  watched  her 
disapprovingly. 

"  You  should,"  he  said,  "  endeavour  to  preserve  a  becom- 
ing serenity." 

Nellie  Townshead  became  grave  again.  "  I  fancy  it 
would  have  been  better  if  we  had  not  displayed  so  much  of 
it  and  let  things  drift,  but  that  is  not  the  question  now," 
she  said.  "  How  could  any  one  willing  to  help  us  do  so, 
father?" 

Townshead  made  a  little  grimace.  "  Are  you  not  sug- 
gesting an  impossibility  ?  " 

"  But  if  there  was  somebody,"  persisted  the  girl.  "What 
could  he  do  on  Thursday?  I  want  to  understand  every- 
thing." 

"  Well,"  said  Townshead,  "  I  think  this  is  the  position. 
Hallam  lent  me  money  which  I  cannot  repay  him,  and  he 

106 


sells  us  up.  Incidentally,  I  fancy  he  has  some  reason  for 
desiring  this  ranch,  and  as  he  has  been  acquiring  a  good 
deal  of  land  lately  will  get  somebody  to  buy  it  in.  Very 
few  of  our  neighbours  have  any  dollars  to  spare,  arid  the 
price  will  necessarily  be  a  low  one.  Now  if  any  man  with 
the  means  to  bid  against  him  were  here  it  would  put  heart 
into  some  of  the  others  and  run  the  prices  up,  and  in  that 
case  Hallam  would  have  to  hand  me  over  a  balance,  as  well 
as  pay  a  good  deal  more  than  he  meant  to  for  the  ranch. 
I  think  that  is  simple,  and  I  believe  the  manoeuvre  has  been 
used  with  some  success  in  other  parts  of  Canada." 

"  But,"  said  the  girl,  "  if  the  man  offered  more  than 
Hallam  or  his  nominee  would  outbid,  he  would  have  to 
take  the  ranch." 

Townshead  nodded  agreement.  "  That,"  he  said,  "  is 
the  difficulty.  Still,  though  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  one 
who  would  do  so  much  for  us,  I  presume  you  would  not 
have  asked  the  question  unless  you  had  something  in  your 
mind." 

The  girl,  who  did  not  answer  for  a  moment,  stooped  and 
stirred  the  stove.  "  No,"  she  said  very  slowly.  "  I  sent 
word  to  Mr.  Alton." 

"  Alton  ?  "  said  Townshead,  and  sat  silent  a  while.  "  Well, 
although  I  do  not  altogether  approve  of  him,  I  fancy  that 
if  there  is  anybody  in  this  district  able  to  help  us  that  is 
the  man.  There  remains  the  question  is  he  willing?" 

Nellie  Townshead  still  busied  herself  at  the  stove.  "  I 
think  he  is,"  she  said. 

Townshead  straightened  himself  a  trifle  in  his  chair. 
"  Then,  I  am  curious  to  know  why  he  should  be,"  he 
said. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  the  girl,  who  rose  and  took  up 
the  supper  dishes.  "  Still,  I  feel  sure  that  he  is." 

Townshead  turned  towards  her.  "  You  fancied  so  a 
moment  or  two  ago,  and  now  you  are  sure,"  he  said. 
"  There  must  be  some  meaning  to  this." 

His  daughter  looked  round  and  laughed  a  little,  holding 
the  tray  at  a  perilous  slope.  "  He  made  me  promise  to 
let  him  know,"  she  said. 

Her  father  shook  his  head.     "  A  young  man  of  Mr. 

107 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Alton's  description  does  not  do  anything  of  the  kind  with- 
out a  motive,"  he  said.  "  Now  I  wonder  if  there  are  min- 
erals upon  the  ranch." 

The  colour  crept  into  his  daughter's  cheeks  again.  "  They 
would  in  any  case  belong  to  the  Crown,"  she  ^9id.  "  Can 
you  not  believe  that  the  man  who  packed  our.  provisions 
in  through  flooded  fords  and  snow  would  do  anything  out 
of  generosity  ?  " 

She  turned  away  and  left  him,  and  Townshead  puckered 
his  face  dubiously.  "  I  should  find  it  very  difficult,  and 
the  care  of  a  daughter  is  a  heavy  responsibility,"  he  said. 

Miss  Townshead  did  not  return  for  some  little  while, 
but  stood  above  the  cedar  washing-board  scarcely  seeing 
the  dishes  that  once  or  twice  almost  slipped  from  her  hand. 
There  was,  her  father  had  told  her,  one  man  who  could 
help  them  in  the  only  way  in  which  assistance  could  be 
accepted,  and  she  felt  sure  he  would.  If  rancher  Alton 
failed  to  keep  his  word  she  felt  it  would  be  very  difficult 
to  believe  in  the  honour  of  his  sex  again. 


108 


CHAPTER  XI 

CONFIDENCE  MISPLACED 

THERE  was  sliding  mist  in  the  Somasco  valley,  and  the 
pines  were  dripping  when  Alton  and  Miss  Deringham 
stood  upon  a  slippery  ledge  above  the  river.  Just  there  it 
came  down  frothing  into  a  deep,  black  pool,  swung  round 
it  white-streaked,  and  swept  on  with  a  hoarse  murmur  into 
the  gloom  of  the  bush  again.  A  wall  of  fissured  rock  over- 
hung the  pool  on  the  farther  side,  and  a  fallen  pine  wetted 
with  the  spray  stretched  across  the  outflow  and  rested  on 
one  jagged  pinnacle.  A  wet  wind  which  drove  the  vapours 
before  it  called  up  wild  music  from  the  cedars  that  loomed 
through  them  on  the  side  of  the  hill. 

"  I'd  cast  across  the  rush  at  the  head  of  the  pool  and  let 
the  fly  come  down,"  said  Alton.  "  There's  generally  a  big 
trout  lying  in  the  eddy  behind  the  boulder." 

The  girl  nodded,  and  the  line  sweeping  back  towards  the 
pines  behind  her  went  forward  again.  It  fell  lightly  amidst 
the  frothing  rush,  and  Alton  smiled  approval  as  he  watched 
the  rod  point  follow  it  downstream  towards  a  foam-licked 
rock.  It  swung  to  and  fro  a  moment,  then  slid  on  again 
towards  the  still  black  stretch  behind  the  stone,  tightened 
there  suddenly,  and  ran,  tense  and  straight,  upstream  again, 
while  the  reel  clacked  and  rattled. 

"  A  big  one,"  said  Alton  quietly.  "  Check  the  winch  a 
little,  and  keep  the  butt  down.  He  can't  face  the  rapid, 
and  you'll  lose  him  unless  you  can  keep  a  strain  on  when 
he  turns  again." 

The  girl  flung  herself  backwards,  with  eyes  dilated  and  a 
warmth  in  her  cheeks,  the  rod  bending  above  her,  and  the 
line  ripping  its  way  towards  the  welter  at  the  head  of  the 
pool.  There  it  curved  inwards  a  trifle,  and  Alton  shouted, 
"Reel!" 

There  was  a  quick  rattle,  something  broke  the  water 

109 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

with  a  silvery  flash,  and  the  line  was  shooting  downstream 
again. 

"  Let  him  go,  unless  he  makes  for  the  fir  yonder,"  said 
Alton  quietly. 

For  the  space  of  several  minutes  the  line  swept  up  and 
down  the  pool,  and  Miss  Deringham  watched  it  almost 
breathlessly  with  fingers  on  the  reel.  Then  it  swept  straight 
towards  the  fallen  fir. 

"  Stop  him !  "  said  Alton.  "  It's  a  good  trace.  Keep  the 
butt  down." 

The  rod  bent  further,  a  big  silvery  body  rushed  clear  of 
the  water  and  went  down  again,  while  next  moment  the 
line  stopped  and  quivered  as  it  rasped  against  the  fallen 
fir.  Miss  Deringham  turned  to  her  companion  with  a 
gesture  of  consternation. 

"  Oh !  "  she  said  breathlessly.    "  It  has  gone." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Alton.  "  That  trace  is  a  good  deal 
thicker  than  what  you  use  in  England.  I'll  see  if  I  can  get 
him.  Keep  your  thumb  on  the  reel." 

He  took  up  a  net,  and  clambering  along  the  ledge  sprang 
lightly  upon  the  log.  It  was  sharply  rounded,  the  bark 
was  wet,  and  the  way  along  it  obstructed  by  the  stake-like 
ends  of  torn-off  limbs,  but  the  man  crawled  forward  foot  by 
foot  with  the  swift  whirl  of  current  close  beneath  him.  Then 
he  knelt  where  the  tree  dipped  almost  level  with  the  flood, 
and  grasping  the  line  with  one  hand  swept  the  net  in  and 
out  amidst  the  broken-off  branches,  while  the  girl  watching 
him  fancied  she  could  see  a  bright  flash  between  the 
splashes.  Presently  he  rose  again  shaking  his  head,  with 
nothing  in  the  net. 

"  Give  me  a  yard  or  two  when  I  shout,"  he  said. 

Grasping  a  branch  with  one  hand  he  lay  down  on  the 
log,  and  lowered  himself  until  arm  and  shoulder  were  in 
the  river.  Then  he  sank  still  further  until  his  head  was 
under  too,  and  the  girl  shivered  a  little.  It  seemed  to  her 
that  it  would  be  difficult  for  even  a  good  swimmer  to 
extricate  himself  from  the  tangle  of  snapped-off  branches 
between  the  log  and  the  bottom  of  the  river.  Still,  the 
clinging  foot  and  arm  were  visible  above  the  rush  of  froth- 
no 


CONFIDENCE   MISPLACED 

ing  water.  Then  more  of  the  man  came  into  sight  again, 
there  was  a  half-smothered  shout,  and  she  loosed  the  reel, 
while  in  another  moment  or  two  Alton  swung  himself  up 
dripping  with  part  of  one  hand  apparently  thrust  into  a 
great  flapping  fish's  head.  With  the  back  of  it  pressed 
against  his  knee  he  drew  the  head  towards  him,  and  the 
long  silvery  body  became  still,  while  the  man  stood  up 
smiling. 

"  Fingers  were  made  before  nets,  but  I  wasn't  quite  sure 
of  him  all  the  time,"  he  said. 

Miss  Deringham,  who  was  flushed  and  breathless,  felt 
very  gracious  towards  her  companion  just  then.  It  was, 
she  realized,  a  somewhat  perilous  thing  he  had  done  to 
please  her,  and  this  was  gratifying  in  itself,  while  the  knowl- 
edge that  he  had  postponed  several  affairs  which  demanded 
his  attention  was  more  flattering  still.  He  was  also,  in  such 
surroundings,  almost  admirable  as  he  stood  before  her 
bareheaded  and  dripping,  the  river  frothing  at  his  feet  and 
the  sliding  mists  behind  him.  Deerskin  jacket  and  stained 
and  faded  jean,  lean,  sinewy  figure,  and  bronzed  face  were 
all  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  the  scene.  Then  a  voice 
came  out  of  the  bush. 

"  Hallo,  Harry !    Are  you  anywhere  around  ?  "  it  said. 

Alton  answered,  and  Miss  Deringham  felt  distinctly 
displeased.  She  had  been  about  to  say  something  deli- 
cately apposite,  and  now  Seaforth,  whose  company  she 
could  have  dispensed  with,  stood  on  the  bank  above  them, 
apparently  quietly  amused. 

"  You  seem  to  be  enjoying  yourself,  Harry,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  a  trifle  curtly,  "  you  didn't  come 
keeyowling  through  the  bush  like  a  prairie  coyote  to  tell 
me  that  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth,  with  a  sudden  change  in  his  voice 
which  Miss  Deringham  noticed.  "  There's  a  man  in  from 
the  settlement,  and  Hallam's  selling  Townshead  up  to-day 
according  to  his  tale." 

Alton  scrambled  swiftly  along  the  log.  "Just  one  ques- 
tion, Charley.  Quite  sure  nobody  came  here  with  any 
message  for  me  about  it  that  you  forgot?"  he  said, 

HI 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

Seaforth  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience,  and  there 
was  a  trace  of  anger  in  his  tone.  "  It  is  scarcely  likely  I 
should  have  forgotten  that,"  he  said. 

Then  he  glanced  at  Miss  Deringham,  and  was  slightly 
bewildered  by  what  he  saw  in  her  face.  Seaforth  had  once 
or  twice  admired  the  girl's  serenity  in  somewhat  difficult 
surroundings,  but  there  was  now  a  suggestion  of  fear  in  her 
eyes,  and  she  seemed  to  avoid  Alton's  gaze.  It,  however, 
passed  in  a  moment,  and  she  turned  towards  the  rancher 
tranquilly. 

"  I  wonder  how  far  I  am  to  blame,"  she  said.  "  A  man 
came  here  a  day  or  two  ago,  and  apparently  endeavoured 
to  tell  me  something.  He  was,  however,  unintelligible,  and 
I  fancy  somebody  had  been  giving  him  whisky." 

"  Mounted?  "  said  Alton.     "  What  kind  of  horse?  " 

Miss  Deringham  considered  for  a  moment,  and  then 
possibly  deciding  that  Alton  would  have  no  difficulty  in 
ascertaining  elsewhere,  told  him.  "  Tom ! "  he  said  grimly. 
"Well,  I'll  talk  to  him.  You'll  take  Miss  Deringham 
home,  Charley,  and  then  come  on  to  Townshead's  after  me." 

He  swung  away  into  the  bush  next  moment,  and  Sea- 
forth followed  him  more  slowly  with  Miss  Deringham. 
Neither  of  them  spoke,  but  though  the  man's  thoughts 
were  busy  with  other  affairs,  he  noticed  that  his  companion 
glanced  at  him  covertly.  "  The  girl  could  have  told  us 
something  more,"  he  said  to  himself,  and  put  a  stern  check 
on  his  impatience  as  he  kept  pace  with  her. 

When  they  came  out  into  the  clearing  they  heard  the 
thud  of  hoofs,  and  saw  a  mounted  man  send  a  horse  at  the 
tall  split  fence.  The  slip-rails  were  up,  and  the  fence  was 
unusually  well  put  together,  but  there  was  a  crash  as  the 
top  bar  flew  apart,  and  presently  the  thud  of  hoofs  grew 
fainter  down  the  fir-shadowed  trail.  Miss  Deringham  now 
appeared  quite  serene  again. 

"  Has  he  ridden  off  wet  through  as  he  was  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  expect  so,"  said  Seaforth  dryly.  "  Harry  does  not 
usually  let  trifles  of  that  kind  worry  him,  nor  do  I  think 
there  are  many  men  who  would  have  ridden  at  that  fence." 

Alice  Deringham  said  nothing,  but  though  she  smiled 

112 


CONFIDENCE   MISPLACED 

Seaforth  fancied  that  she  was  not  pleased.  Her  thoughts 
were,  however,  of  small  importance  to  him,  and  he  hastened 
fuming  with  impatience  towards  the  stables. 

It  was  some  time  later  when  Nellie  Townshead  stood  by 
a  window  of  her  father's  ranch.  Jean-clad  stock  breeders 
and  axemen  hung  about  the  clearing,  and  a  little  knot  of 
men  from  the  cities  stood  apart  from  them.  A  wagon, 
implements  out  of  repair,  old  sets  of  harness,  axes,  saws,  and 
shovels  were  littered  about  the  front  of  the  house,  and 
there  were  two  or  three  horses  and  a  few  poor  cattle  in  the 
corral.  The  ranchers  spoke  slowly  to  one  another,  and 
their  faces  were  sombre,  but  Hallam,  who  stood  amidst  the 
other  men,  was  smiling  over  a  big  cigar.  The  girl  clenched 
her  hands  as  she  watched  him,  and  then  turning  her  head 
looked  down  the  valley. 

"  I  fancy  I  hear  hoofs.  He  told  me  he  would  come," 
she  said,  but  Townshead,  who  sat  apathetically  in  the  old 
leather  chair,  shook  his  head. 

"  He  has,  of  course,  forgotten  if  he  did,"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  the  girl  with  a  trace  of  harshness  in  her  voice. 
"  Mr.  Alton  never  forgets  a  promise.  That  must  be  the 
drumming  of  hoofs.  Can  you  hear  nothing  ?  " 

"  The  river,"  said  Townshead  despondently.  "  He  will  be 
too  late  directly.  They  are  putting  up  the  ranch." 

Confidence  and  dismay  seemed  to  struggle  together  in 
the  face  of  the  girl,  but  the  former  rose  uppermost,  for  she 
clung  fast  to  hope. 

"There!  Oh,  why  can  they  not  stop  talking?  That  is 
something  now,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Townshead.     "  Only  the  wind  in  the  firs." 

The  girl  leaned  forward  a  little,  drawing  in  her  breath  as 
she  stared  down  the  valley.  The  voices  drowned  the  sound 
she  fancied  she  had  heard,  and  the  colour  came  and  went 
in  her  face  when  she  caught  one  of  them.  "  The  thing's 
no  better  than  robbery.  Why  isn't  Harry  Alton  or  his 
partner  here  ?  " 

Nellie  Townshead  had  asked  herself  the  same  question 
over  and  over  again  that  day  when  rancher  and  axemen 
in  somewhat  embarrassed  fashion  tendered  her  their 

"3 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

sympathy.  What  she  expected  from  him  she  did  not 
quite  know,  but  she  had  a  curious  confidence  in  Alton,  and 
at  least  as  much  in  his  comrade,  and  felt  that  even  if  the 
scheme  her  father  had  alluded  to  was  not  feasible  there 
would  be  something  they  could  do.  Then  she  drew  back 
from  the  window  and  sat  down  with  a  little  shiver  as  the 
harsh  voice  of  the  auctioneer  rose  from  the  clearing.  She 
caught  disjointed  words  and  sentences. 

"  Don't  need  tell  you  what  the  place  is  worth.  You 
have  seen  the  boundaries.  Richest  soil  in  the  Dominion. 
Grow  anything.  Now  if  I  was  a  rancher.  Well,  I'm 
waiting  for  your  offer." 

He  apparently  waited  some  little  time,  and  then  a  laugh 
that  expressed  bitterness  in  place  of  merriment  followed 
the  voice  of  one  of  the  men  from  the  cities. 

"  Put  two  hundred  dollars  on  to  it,"  said  somebody,  and 
there  was  another  laugh,  which  the  girl,  recognizing  the 
voice,  understood;  for  it  was  known  that  the  bidder  had 
probably  not  ten  dollars  in  his  possession  and  was  in  debt 
at  the  store.  The  fact  that  this  man  whom  she  had 
scarcely  spoken  to  should  endeavour  to  help  her  while  her 
friends  at  Somasco  did  nothing  also  brought  a  little  flash 
of  anger  to  her  eyes.  Then  she  told  herself  that  there  was 
time  yet,  and  they  would  come. 

The  voices  rose  again  more  rapidly.  "  Fifty  more. 
Another  to  me.  Oh,  what's  the  use  of  fooling.  One 
hundred  better.  Twenty  again  to  me." 

Miss  Townshead  glanced  at  her  father.  "They'll  stop 
presently,"  said  he.  "  The  place  stands  at  a  third  of  its 
value,  but  it  would  cripple  most  of  them  to  pay  for  it  if 
they  got  it  now.  The  man  from  Vancouver  who  goes  up 
by  twenties  will  get  it  at  half  of  what  it  cost  me,  and  I  don't 
think  you  need  watch  for  rancher  Alton." 

Still  Nellie  Townshead  did  not  quite  give  up  hope.  The 
bidding  was  only  beginning,  and  there  was  time  yet.  She 
had  been  taught  to  look  beneath  the  surface  in  Western 
Canada,  and  had  cherished  a  curious  respect  for  rancher 
Alton.  The  girl  was  young  still,  and  he  stood  for  her  as  a 
romantic  ideal  of  the  new  manhood  that  was  to  grow  to 

114 


CONFIDENCE   MISPLACED 

greatness  in  the  wildest  province  of  the  Dominion,  while 
now  and  then  she  fancied  she  saw  something  in  his  com- 
rade's face  which  roused  her  pity  and  stirred  her  to 
sympathy.  That,  having  made  it  unasked,  the  former 
should  slight  a  promise  of  the  kind  appeared  incompre- 
hensible and  she  felt  that  if  he  did  so  her  faith  in  the  type 
he  served  as  an  example  of  would  fall  with  him.  There 
was  also  pressing  need  of  some  one  to  look  to  for  guidance 
in  her  time  of  necessity,  because  Townshead  was  not  the 
man  to  grapple  with  any  difficulty,  and  most  of  his  neigh- 
bours knew  little  or  nothing  about  the  cities. 

"  Father,"  she  said,  "  in  case  the  purchaser  turns  us  out 
where  shall  we  go  to-night?  The  stage  does  not  go  in  to 
the  railroad  until  a  week  to-day,  and  do  you  think  there 
will  be  anything  left  over  to  keep  us  for  a  little  in 
Vancouver  ? " 

Townshead  glanced  at  her  querulously.  *'  Somebody 
will  take  us  in,"  said  he.  "  I  should  have  fancied,  my  dear, 
that  you  would  have  seen  I  am  sufficiently  distressed  and 
unwell  to-day  without  having  to  anticipate  further 
difficulties.  There  will,  I  hope,  be  a  balance.  What  is  the 
bidding  now  ?  " 

The  girl  listened,  but  for  a  few  moments  there  was  a 
significant  silence,  and  her  heart  sank  when  a  single  voice 
rose.  One  or  two  others  joined  in,  and  there  was  silence 
again  until  the  auctioneer  repeated  the  offer.  Then  she 
turned  quivering  towards  her  father. 

"  You  heard  him  ?  "  she  said. 

Townshead  groaned  despondently.  "  I  am  afraid  the 
prospect  of  a  balance  is  very  small,"  he  said. 

Again  there  was  a  stillness  in  the  clearing,  until  the 
auctioneer's  voice  rose  raucously  expostulating.  "  It  is 
really  preposterous,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "  I  am  giving 
the  place  away." 

"  Well,  I'll  go  ten  better,"  said  somebody,  and  the  girl 
held  her  breath. 

"  Twenty ! "  said  another  man,  and  there  was  a  laugh. 

"  Then  that  takes  me.     You  can  have  the  ranch." 

The  voice  of  the  auctioneer  rose  again.     "  Nobody  to 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

follow  him  ?  Your  last  chance,  gentlemen.  He's  getting  it 
for  nothing.  Too  late  in  a  moment.  Going — going." 

Nellie  Townshead  closed  her  hands  and  turned  'her  head 
away,  then  sprang  up  quivering  with  the  revulsion  from 
despair  to  hope.  Through  the  silence  she  heard  a  faint 
drumming  down  the  valley. 

"  He  is  coming.     Stop  them,  father,"  she  said. 

Nobody  else  apparently  heard  the  sound.  The  eyes  of 
all  in  the  clearing  were  fixed  upon  the  auctioneer,  and 
while  Townshead  rose  from  his  chair  he  brought  down  his 
hand. 

"  It's  yours,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I'll  take  your  cheque,  or  you 
can  fill  this  contract  in  if  you're  bidding  for  the  smaller 
lots." 

Nellie  Townshead  grew  white  in  face  as  she  glanced 
towards  her  father.  Townshead  stood  still,  gripping  the 
back  of  his  chair. 

"  We  are  homeless  now,"  he  said. 

It  was  five  minutes  before  the  girl  looked  out  again,  and 
then  in  spite  of  every  effort  her  eyes  grew  hazy,  but  it  was 
a  long  time  before  she  forgot  the  scene,  for  the  groups  of 
bronzed  men  in  jean,  cattle,  clearing,  and  the  tall  firs  behind 
them  burned  themselves  into  her  memory.  Hallam  stood 
smiling  close  by  the  auctioneer's  table  with  a  cigar  in  his 
hand,  and  another  man  from  the  cities  was  apparently  re- 
placing a  roll  of  paper  dollars  in  his  wallet.  That  impressed 
her  even  more  than  the  sympathetic  faces  turned  towards  the 
house,  for  it  was  a  token  that  the  sale  was  irrevocably  com- 
pleted. Then  the  group  split  up  as  a  man  rode  at  a  gallop 
straight  towards  the  table.  He  was  breathless,  the  horse 
was  smoking,  and  there  were  red  smears  upon  its  flanks 
as  well  as  flecks  of  spume.  He  swung  himself  from  the 
saddle,  and  there  followed  the  sound  of  an  altercation 
while  a  noisy  group  surged  about  the  table.  It  opened 
up  again,  and  rancher  Alton  walked  out,  pale  and  grim  of 
face,  alone. 

"  You  should  have  come  sooner,  Harry,"  said  somebody. 

The  rancher  turned,  the  group  closed  in  again,  and  the 
girl  did  not  see  Alton  stride  up  to  a  big  man,  and  laying  a 

116 


CONFIDENCE   MISPLACED 

hand  upon  his  shoulder  swing  him  round.  "  Tom,"  he  said 
with  a  curious  quietness,  "  there  was  a  message  you  did 
not  give  me,  you  drunken  hog." 

The  man  shook  his  grasp  off,  glanced  at  him  bewilderedly, 
and  then  while  the  bronze  grew  a  little  darker  in  his  face 
doubled  a  great  fist. 

"  If  I  take  a  little  more  than  is  good  for  me  now  and 
then,  that's  my  lookout,"  he  said.  "  Now  I  don't  want  any 
trouble  with  you,  Harry,  but  I'll  not  take  that  talk  from  any 
man." 

Alton's  face  was  almost  grey  and  his  eyes  partly  closed, 
but  there  was  a  steely  glint  in  them  as  he  said,  "  Did  you 
bring  me  the  message  Miss  Townshead  gave  you  ?  " 

"  I  did  the  next  thing,"  said  the  man.  "  When  I  couldn't 
find  you  I  gave  it  to  the  lady.  She  promised  to  tell  you." 

"  Tom,"  said  Alton  slowly,  "  you  are  worse  than  a 
drunken  hog,  you  are " 

A  man  stepped  in  front  of  him  before  the  word  was 
spoken,  while  another  pinioned  the  culprit's  arm. 

"  We've  no  use  for  that  kind  of  talk  and  the  fuss  that 
follows  it,"  said  the  first  one.  "  Anyway,  if  Tom  mixed 
things  up  it  was  my  fault  and  Dobey's  for  giving  him  the 
whisky.  We'd  sold  some  stock  well  and  we  rushed  him  in. 
Well,  now,  if  you  still  feel  you  must  work  it  off  on  some- 
body you've  got  to  tackle  Dobey  and  me !  " 

Alton  let  his  hands  drop.  "  Do  you  know  what  you  have 
done  ?  "  said  he. 

"  It  wasn't  very  much,  anyway,"  said  the  other  man. 
"  Tom  didn't  want  to  come  in ;  told  us  he'd  a  message  for 
you.  But  we  made  him,  and  were  sorry  after,  because  when 
he  got  started  he  left  us  very  little  whisky." 

Alton  glanced  at  him  a  moment,  and  the  man  grew 
embarrassed  under  his  gaze.  Then  he  smiled  wryly.  "  And 
this  is  what  you  have  brought  Townshead  and  his  daughter 
to,  and  there  is  more  behind.  What  you  have  made  of  me 
counts  for  little  after  that,"  he  said. 

Some  time  had  passed  when  he  walked  quietly  into  the 
house.  Nellie  Townshead  rose  as  he  entered  and  stood 
looking  at  him  very  white  in  face. 

117 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  I  wonder  if  you  will  believe  what  I  have  to  tell  you, 
Miss  Townshead,"  he  commenced,  and  stopped  when  the 
rancher  turned  towards  him. 

"  My  daughter  has,  I  think,  been  taught  that  it  is  unwise 
to  place  much  confidence  in  any  one,"  he  said. 

Alton  glanced  at  the  girl,  and  stood  silent  a  moment 
when  she  made  a  little  gesture  of  agreement.  "  I  am  afraid 
appearances  are  against  me,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl.     "  So  are  the  facts." 

"Well,"  said  Alton  grimly,  "the  latter  are  of  the  most 
importance,  but  I  think  you  should  hear  me." 

"  There  is,"  said  Miss  Townshead,  "  no  reason  why  I 
should.  You  made  me  a  promise — why  I  do  not  know,  any 
more  than  I  do  why  I  allowed  you — but  I  was  very  anxious 
just  then.  No  doubt  you  spoke  on  impulse,  and  afterwards 
regretted  it." 

"  My  daughter  was  a  trifle  injudicious,"  said  Townshead. 

Alton  made  a  last  endeavour.  "  I  know  what  you  musf 
think  of  me,  and  it  hurts,"  he  said.  "  Still,  that  is  a  little 
thing." 

The  girl  checked  him  by  a  gesture,  and  the  man  stopped 
with  his  meaning  unexpressed.  "  You  have  made  as  much 
evident,"  she  said. 

Alton  turned  towards  her  father.  "  I'm  afraid  the  sug- 
gestion I  wished  to  make  would  be  out  of  place  just  now," 
he  said.  "  Still,  I  had  ridden  over  in  the  hope  that  you 
and  Miss  Townshead  would  stay  with  us  at  Somasco  while 
you  decided  on  your  next  step. 

"  We  have  to  thank  you  for  your  offer,  but  your  surmise 
is  correct,"  said  Townshead. 

Alton  said  nothing  further,  but  went  out  into  the  clearing 
and  stood  apart  from  the  rest  while  the  auctioneer  disposed 
of  the  household  effects,  until  a  little  cabinet  was  offered, 
when  he  moved  up  to  the  table  and  bid  savagely.  Hallam 
for  some  reason  bid  against  him,  and  only  stopped  when 
he  had  quadrupled  its  value.  Alton  flung  down  a  roll  of 
dollar  bills  and  then  turned  to  a  man  close  by.  "  Will  you 
take  that  in  to  Miss  Townshead,  and  not  tell  her  who 
bought  it?"  he  said.  "It  was  her  mother's,  and  I  believe 
she  values  it." 

118 


CONFIDENCE   MISPLACED 

"  I'll  do  my  best,"  said  the  other  man  dryly.  "  Still, 
I'm  not  good  at  fixing  up  a  story,  and  Miss  Nellie's  not  a 
fool." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  simply,  "  there's  another  thing. 
Where  is  Townshead  going  ?  " 

The  rancher  smiled  a  little.  "  He's  coming  home  with 
me.  Susie's  driving  over  with  the  wagon." 

Alton  nodded.  "  Now  you  needn't  be  touchy,  but  we've 
fruit  and  things  at  Somasco  you  haven't  got,"  said  he. 
"  Well,  I  want  you  to  come  round  with  the  wagon." 

The  rancher  straightened  himself  a  trifle.  "  My  place 
isn't  Somasco,  but  it  will  be  a  mean  day  when  I  can't  feed 
my  friends,"  said  he. 

Alton  laughed  softly.  "  I  don't  care  ten  cents  about  your 
feelings,  Jack,"  he  said.  "  The  girl  and  the  old  man  might 
like  the  things,  and  there's  no  reason  they  should  know 
where  you  got  them." 

The  other  man  also  laughed.  "You  ride  straight  home, 
Harry,  before  you  make  it  worse,"  said  he.  "  One  might 
figure  that  you'd  mixed  things  up  enough  already." 

Alton  turned  away,  and  found  Seaforth  awaiting  him. 
They  mounted,  and  Alton  rode  in  silence  until  when  they 
were  climbing  out  of  the  valley  he  said,  "  I  wonder, 
Charley,  if  there's  a  man  in  the  Dominion  who  feels  as  mean 
as  I  do." 

Seaforth  smiled  curiously,  and  there  was  bitterness  in  his 
voice  which  Alton  was  too  disturbed  to  notice.  "  I  think 
there  is,"  he  said.  "  You  haven't  asked  what  kept  me,  but 
you  will  see  if  you  look  at  the  horse's  knees.  It's  a  little 
difficult  to  understand  why  he  must  get  his  foot  in  a  hole 
to-day." 

It  was  late  that  night  when  they  reached  Somasco,  but 
Alton  found  Miss  Deringham  upon  the  verandah,  and  she 
glanced  at  him  with  very  pretty  sympathy.  Still,  Seaforth 
fancied  that  she  seemed  a  trifle  anxious. 

"  Have  you  seen  the  man  who  brought  the  message  ?  " 
she  said. 

"  I  have,"  said  Alton.  "  You  were  right,  of  course. 
He'd  had  too  much  whisky." 

The  girl  appeared,  so  Seaforth  fancied,  curiously  relieved 

119 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  I  was  almost  afraid  you  might  think  I  was  in  some 
respects  to  blame,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton  simply.  "  That  was  one  of  the  things 
I  couldn't  do.  It  was  right  out  of  the  question." 

He  went  in,  and  the  warm  colour  crept  into  Miss  Dering- 
ham's  face  as  she  presently  followed  him. 


120 


AUTUMN  was  merging-  into  winter  when  one  morning 
Alton  and  his  comrade  strolled  along  the  water-front  at 
Vancouver.  It  was  still  early,  and  the  store  and  office 
clerks  were  just  hastening  to  their  occupations,  but  Alton 
had  spent  an  hour  already  in  a  great  sawmill.  His  face 
was  thoughtful,  and  he  seemed  to  be  repeating  details  of 
machines  and  engines  half  aloud.  Presently  he  stood  still 
and  gazed  about  him,  and  Seaforth,  who  followed  his  gaze, 
knew  there  was  something  working  in  his  comrade's  mind. 
The  scene  was  also  inspiriting  and  suggestive. 

Across  the  wide  inlet,  mountain  beyond  mountain 
towered  against  the  blueness  of  the  north.,  To  the  east, 
sombre  forest  shut  the  sheltered  basin  in,  its  black  ridge 
serrated  by  the  ragged  spires  of  taller  pines,  and  blurred  in 
places  by  the  drifting  smoke  of  mills.  Between  them  and 
the  water  stood  long  lines  of  loaded  cars,  with  huge  loco- 
motives snorting  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  where  the 
metal  road  which  commenced  at  Quebec  ended,  the  white 
shape  of  an  Empress  liner  rose  above  the  wharf,  the  clasp 
of  the  new  steel  girdle  which  bound  England  to  the  East. 
Above  the  pines  that  shrouded  the  narrows  shone  the  top- 
sails of  a  timber-laden  barque,  and  a  crawling  cloud  of 
smoke  betokened  a  steamer  coming  up  out  of  the  wastes 
of  the  Pacific,  while  four-masted  ships  lay  two  deep  be- 
neath the  humming  mills.  '  Then,  rising  ridge  on  ridge, 
jumbled  in  picturesque  confusion,  and  flanked  by  towering 
telegraph  poles,  store  and  bank  and  office  climbed  the 
slope  of  the  hill.  It  was  a  new  stone  city  which  had 
sprung,  as  by  enchantment,  from  the  ashes  of  a  wooden 
one,  and  would,  purging  itself  of  its  raw  crudity,  rise  to 
beauty  and  greatness  yet.  ' 

Alton  glanced  towards  it  with  a  comprehensive  gesture. 

121 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  What  a  place  this  will  be  by  and  by,"  he  said.  "  Some- 
times I'm  proud  I  was  born  in  this  country.  Now  I  might 
have  been  raised  back  there  at  Carnaby,  and  taught  it  was 
every  man's  chief  duty  to  dress  and  talk  nicely,  chase 
foxes,  and  think  about  his  dinner." 

"  I  fancy  there  are  men  who  would  not  have  thought 
that  a  great  misfortune,"  said  Seaforth  dryly.  "  You  could 
also,  if  you  liked  it,  do  so  still." 

Alton  laughed  a  little  grimly.  "  There  are  two  kinds  of 
men  in  this  world,  Charley,  and  which  of  them  makes  it 
go  ?  "  said  he.  "  The  ones  who  have  too  much  to  eat  and 
too  little  to  do,  or  the  others  who  have  to  keep  on  doing 
something  because  they're  hungry?  Well,  I  needn't  ask 
you,  because  the  conundrum  was  answered  long  ago,  and 
that  kind  of  talking's  no  great  use  to  anybody.  That  was 
a  very  fine  mill,  and  I  picked  up  a  good  deal  down  there. 
Still,  we  will  scarcely  want  such  a  big  one  at  Somasco." 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  "  I  don't  quite  see  how 
we  are  going  to  keep  the  one  we  have  busy." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  you  will  by  and  by,  and  I'm  going 
to  buy  three  or  four  new  saw-fixings  to-day.  You  don't 
know  anything  about  bookkeeping,  Charley  ?  " 

"  You  have  surmised  correctly,"  said  Seaforth.  "  I  don't 
know  that  I  want  to." 

Alton  laughed,  and  presently  stopped  in  front  of  a  build- 
ing on  which  a  brass  plate  was  inscribed.  "  Bookkeeping 
and  Shorthand  taught  efficiently." 

"  I  think  you're  wrong,  and  this  is  the  place,"  said  he. 
"  That's  a  sensible  man,  and  he  just  puts  down  what  he 
can  do.  Go  right  in,  and  ask  how  long  he'll  take  to  make 
a  business  man  of  you." 

Seaforth  stared  at  him  in  bewilderment.  "You  took 
nothing  with  your  breakfast,  Harry  ?  "  said  he. 

Alton  smiled  a  little  grimly.  "  I  haven't  had  any  yet. 
I've  been  too  busy,"  he  said.  "  Walk  in,  Charley,  while  I 
see  whether  they'll  lend  me  twenty  thousand  dollars  at  the 
bank  yonder." 

Seaforth,  who,  however,  knew  that  there  was  no  use  in 
arguing  with  his  comrade,  shook  his  head.  "  It's  a  long 
rest  you  want,  Harry,"  he  said. 

122 


VANCOUVER 

He  went  in,  and  Alton,  proceeding  down  the  street,  pres- 
ently entered  the  Bank  of  Montreal,  where  he  left  the 
manager  divided  between  astonishment  and  admiration. 
He,  however,  came  out  with  just  as  many  dollars  as  he 
carried  into  the  building,  and  lighting  a  cigar,  watched  the 
passers-by  gravely  as  he  waited  for  his  comrade.  They 
were  of  many  and  widely  different  types;  men  with  keen, 
sallow  faces  from  eastern  cities  hastening  as  though  every 
moment  lost  was  an  opportunity  wasted;  others  moving 
with  the  tranquillity  which  proclaimed  them  Englishmen; 
bronzed  prospectors,  and  solemn  axemen  from  the  shadowy 
bush,  with  the  stillness  of  the  forest  in  their  eyes;  sailors, 
Japs,  and  Siwash  sealermen.  All  of  them  appeared  well 
fed  and  prosperous,  and  Alton  was  wondering  whether 
there  was  any  one  hungry  in  that  city,  when  a  girl  came 
down  the  stairway  of  the  building  Seaforth  had  entered. 

Alton  did  not  at  first  see  her  face,  but  he  noticed  that 
her  dress  was  threadbare,  and  she  was  walking  wearily, 
while  the  man  who  read  dejection  in  her  attitude  was  sorry 
for  her.  She  stopped  in  the  passage,  glancing  at  the  card 
in  her  hand,  then  drew  herself  up  a  little  and  with  a  quick, 
nervous  movement  lifted  her  head.  Alton  saw  her  face  at 
last,  and  though  it  had  grown  a  trifle  hollow  and  pale,  he 
recognized  Miss  Townshead.  Then  she  saw  him,  and  he 
moved  forward  hastily. 

"  This  is  a  pleasure  I  was  not  expecting,"  he  said. 

He  fancied  for  a  moment  that  the  girl  would  have  re- 
treated. She,  however,  looked  at  him  quietly,  though  some- 
thing in  her  manner  checked  Alton's  outstretched  hand. 

"  Are  you  staying  here  ?  "  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  I'm  going  away  to-morrow,  but  I 
want  quite  a  long  talk  with  you." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  hear  anything  about  Somasco,"  said 
the  girl. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  who  understood  her,  smiling,  "  we'll 
let  that  go  by.  Now,  they  begin  on  time  in  this  city,  and 
as  your  father  doesn't  like  his  breakfast  early,  I'm  figuring 
you  haven't  had  any.  We'll  get  some  together.  I've  been 
too  busy  to  think  of  mine." 

Nellie  Townshead  was  afterwards  both  astonished  and 

123 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

angry  with  herself.  She  had  lost  her  respect  for  this  man 
who  had,  it  seemed,  betrayed  her  confidence,  and  if  he  had 
given  her  a  moment's  time,  would  probably  have  dispensed 
with  his  company.  As  it  was,  however,  Alton  drew  her 
out  into  the  street  with  a  swift  forcefulness  before  she 
could  frame  an  answer.  She  was  also  feeling  very  lonely 
and  downcast  then,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  find  somebody 
she  knew  in  the  busy  city  that  had  apparently  no  place  for 
her. 

"  Now,"  said  Alton  presently,  "  we'll  go  in  here.  It's 
nice  and  quiet  for  Vancouver,  but  I  expect  you  know  this 
place." 

He  realized  that  he  had  blundered  when  he  saw  the 
girl's  face,  but  in  another  second  she  was  laughing  a  little. 
"  No,"  she  said.  "  I'm  afraid  you  are  forgetting." 

Alton  apparently  misunderstood  her.  "  Well,"  he  said, 
smiling,  "  it's  quite  possible  you  know  another  place  that's 
nicer;  but  sit  right  yonder  while  I  waken  some  of  these 
people  up." 

Now  the  public  breakfast  is  an  institution  in  Western 
cities  whose  inhabitants  frequently  take  no  meals  at  home, 
and  the  appearance  of  the  bronzed  man  and  girl  together 
excited  no  comment,  while  Alton  was  able  to  contrive  that 
they  had  a  table  in  a  corner  to  themselves.  His  tastes 
were,  as  his  companion  knew,  severely  simple,  and  she 
wondered  a  little,  because  that  establishment  was  one  of 
the  most  expensive  in  the  city.  In  the  meanwhile,  the 
man  talked  assiduously,  if  somewhat  at  random,  and  was 
contented  when  he  found  that  he  could  keep  the  girl's 
attention  occupied  so  that  she  scarcely  noticed  how  often  he 
refilled  her  plate.  At  last,  as  he  passed  a  great  cluster 
of  fruit  across,  he  said,  "  It's  time  you  did  the  talking  now. 
You  are  going  right  ahead  in  this  city  ?  " 

The  girl's  face  quivered  for  a  second,  and  her  fingers 
moved  nervously.  "  I  am  afraid  I  have  not  commenced 
yet,"  she  said. 

"  No  ?  "  said  Alton.  "  Now  Susie  Thomson  told  me  you 
were  running  a  typewriter  for  somebody." 

A  tinge  of  carmine  flickered  into  the  cheek  of  his  com- 
panion and  faded  swiftly  again.  "  I  was,"  she  said.  "  The 

124 


IN  VANCOUVER 

commercial  school  found  the  place  for  me,  but  it  was  im- 
possible that  I  should  stay  there." 

Alton  half  closed  his  eyes,  and  the  girl  noticed  his  big 
hand  slowly  clenched,  for  he  fancied  he  understood.  "  It's 
a  pity  I  wasn't  a  brother  of  yours,  Miss  Nellie.  I  should 
like  to  see  those  folks,"  he  said.  "  Still,  you  have  known 
me  a  long  while,  and  that's  something  to  go  upon." 

"  I'm  afraid  it's  not  sufficient,"  said  the  girl  hastily,  with 
a  little  smile. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  with  a  sigh,  "  you  have  got  hold  of 
something  better." 

Miss  Townshead  appeared  to  make  an  endeavour  to 
answer  hopefully,  but  again  her  ringers  trembled,  and  there 
was  a  little  less  courage  than  usual  in  her  eyes.  "  Not  yet, 
but  I  shall  do  soon,"  she  said. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alton  gravely.  *'  Now  how  long  have 
you  been  looking  for  it  ?  " 

"  A  month,"  said  the  girl  without  reflection,  and  Alton 
nodded  as  though  in  answer  to  some  question  he  had  put 
to  himself. 

"  And  when  you  went  into  that  place  this  morning  there 
was  nothing  again  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Townshead,  with  a  trace  of  despondency 
she  could  not  quite  conceal.  "  There  was  a  post  vacant, 
but  it  had  some  trust  attached  to  it,  and  nobody  knows  me." 

Now  while  he  talked  Alton's  eyes  had  been  busy,  and 
he  had  noticed  a  curious  weariness  which  he  had  not  seen 
before  in  his  companion's  face.  Her  fingers,  which  had 
grown  white,  were  also  very  slender,  and  the  well-worn 
dress,  which  he  remembered,  did  not  seem  to  hang  about 
her  as  it  had  done.  Her  eyes,  however,  were  brighter,  and 
now  and  then  a  little  florid  colour  flushed  her  cheeks,  but 
that  did  not  please  him,  for  Alton  had  seen  not  a  little  of 
want  and  hunger  in  the  snows  of  the  North: 

"  You  mean  they  want  security  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Townshead  hastily.  "  Still,  one  of  the 
girls  I  met  at  the  school  told  me  there  was  somebody 
wanted  at  a  big  dry  goods  store,  and  I  think  I  had  better 
go  round  and  see  the  people  now." 

Alton  rose,  and  when  they  went  out  together  gravely 

125 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

held  out  his  hand.  "  We  used  to  be  good  friends,  and  you 
were  kind  to  me,"  said  he.  "  Now  is  there  nothing  that  I 
can  do?" 

" No,"  said  Miss  Townshead  hastily.  "Of  course  there 
is  nothing,  and  you  will  hear  that  I  am  prospering 
presently." 

Alton  bent  a  trifle  over  the  little  hand  in  the  shabby 
glove  that  rested  a  moment  in  his  palm.  "  Well,  if  ever 
there  is  anything  you  will  let  me  know.  You  are  a  brave 
girl,"  said  he. 

Nellie  Townshead  turned  and  left  him,  feeling  for  no 
apparent  reason  a  slight  choking  sensation,  and  Alton, 
who  watched  the  little  figure  in  the  threadbare  dress  for  at 
least  a  minute,  strode  resolutely  back  to  the  commercial 
school. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  man  who  runs  this  place,"  he  said. 

He  was  shown  into  an  office,  where  a  man,  whose  face 
he  was  pleased  with,  greeted  him.  "You  taught  Miss 
Townshead  here  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other.  "  She  is  a  lady  of  considerable 
ability,  and  I  could  recommend  her  with  confidence." 

Alton  stared  at  him  a  moment  out  of  half-closed  eyes. 
"  Of  course  you  would,"  he  said.  "  Well  now,  she  has  been 
applying  for  some  place  where  they  want  security.  Is  it 
fit  for  a  lady?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man  dryly.  "  Otherwise  I  should  not 
have  mentioned  it  to  her.  The  storekeeper  having  been 
victimized  lately,  however,  requires  a  deposit  of  one  hun- 
dred dollars." 

Alton  took  out  his  wallet.  "  He  can  have  two  hundred 
if  he  likes.  Now  I  want  you  to  fix  it  up  without  telling 
Miss  Townshead  or  anybody." 

"You  are  a  relation  of  hers?"  said  the  man. 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  I  am  a  friend." 

"  Then  I'm  afraid  I  can't  assist  you,"  said  the  other  man. 
"  It  is  necessary  to  avoid  any  probability  of  complications 
in  my  business." 

Again  a  glint  crept  into  Alton's  eyes,  but  it  vanished, 
and  he  spoke  quietly.  "  I  think  you're  straight,"  he  said,, 
"  Well,  I'm  direct  too,  and  I'm  going  right  back  to  my 

126 


IN  VANCOUVER 

ranch  to-morrow.  Anybody  from  that  district  will  tell  you 
all  about  Alton  of  Somasco.  Now  you'll  take  the  dollars, 
and  if  you  hear  of  me  hanging  round  this  city  you  can  send 
them  back  to  me." 

The  man  appeared  dubious,  but  finally  nodded.  "  I'll 
make  an  exception  in  your  case,"  he  said.  "  The  fact  is, 
I'm  sorry  for  Miss  Townshead,  because  I  fancy  it  is  de- 
sirable that  she  should  secure  an  appointment  of  any  kind  as 
soon  as  possible." 

Alton  went  out  contented,  having,  so  he  fancied,  some- 
what skilfully  obtained  Townshead's  address,  and  found 
Seaforth  awaiting  him. 

"  They  could,  if  I  am  an  apt  pupil,  turn  me  out  proficient 
for  anything  in  three  months,"  he  said. 

Alton  laughed.  "  They'll  have  to  do  it  in  less,  and  we'll 
find  a  use  for  all  they've  taught  you  by  and  by,"  he  said. 
"  Now  I  came  across  Miss  Townshead,  and  she  wasn't  look- 
ing well  or  happy.  We'll  call  upon  her  father  when  we 
get  through  what  we  have  to  do." 

Seaforth,  who  appeared  disturbed,  would  have  gone 
sooner,  but  it  was  afternoon  when  they  strolled  round  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  and  his  face  was  somewhat  grim  as 
they  entered  the  Alsatia,  which  is  the  usual  adjunct  of  such 
places.  It  would,  however,  have  impressed  the  unsophisti- 
cated Eastern  observer  as  being  well  painted,  respectable, 
and  especially  prosperous,  for  virtue  is  not  the  only  thing 
which  is  rewarded  and  recognized  in  a  Western  city. 
Finally,  after  traversing  it,  they  found  Townshead  in  a 
little  wooden  house  which  was  apparently  occupied  by  two 
other  families.  The  remnants  of  a  very  meagre  meal  lay 
before  him,  and  he  sat  wearing  the  red  velvet  jacket,  which 
looked  older  and  more  faded  than  ever,  in  a  canvas 
chair.  He  greeted  the  two  men  coldly  and  somewhat 
condescendingly. 

"  We  have  not  been  especially  fortunate  hitherto,"  he 
said  presently.  "  In  fact,  tnis  city  seems  to  be  labouring 
under  a  commercial  depression,  and  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  any  of  the  opportunities  I  had  expected.  Nor  has  my 
daughter  been  more  successful." 

Alton,  who  had  been  looking  about  him  in  the  mean- 

127 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

while,  noticed  that  although  the  day  was  chilly  there  was 
no  fire  in  the  stove,  while  glancing  at  the  man  who  lay, 
infirm  alike  in  will  and  body,  in  the  chair,  he  understood 
why  the  girl's  fingers  had  trembled  and  the  mistiness  he 
had  for  a  moment  seen  in  her  eyes.  He  was  also  wonder- 
ing by  what  means  he  could  lessen  one  difficulty,  but  it 
was  Seaforth  who  devised  one  first.  • 

"  Things  will  get  better  presently,"  he  said.  "  Now 
Harry  and  I  often  remember  the  pleasant  evenings  we 
spent  at  your  ranch,  and  we  never  got  suppers  like  those 
Miss  Townshead  made  us,  at  Somasco." 

"  My  daughter  found  it  necessary  to  acquire  the  art  of 
cookery  in  Canada,"  said  Townshead  a  trifle  distantly. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  <;  Everybody  is 
compelled  to  in  this  country,  and  I  only  referred  to  the 
subject  because  Harry  seems  to  fancy  it  must  be  difficult 
to  get  any  of  the  little  things  we  are  used  to  in  the  bush  in 
the  city,  while  your  kindness  to  us  would  justify  what 
might  otherwise  appear  a  liberty.  We  brought  a  few  odds 
and  ends  you  can't  get  quite  so  nice  in  Vancouver  along. 
Hadn't  you  better  go  and  bring  them  in,  Harry  ?  " 

Alton  glanced  at  him  in  bewildered  astonishment. 
"  Bring  them  in  ?  "  he  said. 

Seaforth  shook  his  head  deprecatingly.  "  You  haven't 
forgotten  already,  and  you  are  not  going  to  escape  in  that 
fashion,"  he  said.  "  If  you'll  ask  at  the  hotel  they'll  tell 
you  where  to  find  the  things." 

Alton  moved  so  that  Townshead  could  not  see  him, 
and  his  face  was  utterly  perplexed.  "  What  things  ? " 
he  said. 

"  Two  or  three  fowls,"  said  Seaforth  reflectively.  "  There 
were  some  eggs,  a  bag  of  the  big  yellow  apples,  and — now 
its  curious  I  forget  the  rest." 

Alton's  eyes  twinkled.  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  said.  "  Some 
venison.  There  was  the  deer  you  shot  in  the  potatoes, 
and  a  bag  of  dried  plums.  Our  orchard  has  done  very 
well,  Mr.  Townshead." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  forgot  the  Excelsior  pears,"  said  Sea- 
forth. "  They're  as  big  as  your  two  fists,  and  Harry's 
quite  proud  of  them." 

128 


IN   VANCOUVER 

Townshead,  who  was  not  an  observant  man,  appeared 
astonished,  and  also  a  trifle  touched.  "  I'm  afraid  I  have 
not  always  appreciated  my  bush  friends  as  I  should  have 
done,  and  your  kindness  will  I  think  lessen  my  daughter's 
difficulty  respecting  the  commissariat,"  he  said.  "  There 
are,  of  course,  many  of  the  little  things  we  were  used  to 
which  she  feels  the  loss  of." 

Seaforth,  who  read  a  good  deal  more  than  his  words 
expressed  in  the  speaker's  face,  signed  to  his  comrade,  who 
went  out  and  returned  later  with  a  hamper.  "  Somebody 
must  have  forgotten  to  put  the  venison  in,  but  the  other 
things  are  all  there,"  he  said. 

Townshead  assisted  them  to  unpack  the  hamper,  and 
while  they  were  busy  over  it  his  daughter  came  in.  It  was 
apparently  raining,  for  the  thin  white  dress  clung  about 
her,  and  she  seemed  very  white  and  weary.  Darkness  was 
drawing  on,  the  room  was  dim,  and  at  first  she  apparently 
only  saw  her  father  as  she  stood  taking  off  her  hat  by  the 
window. 

"  Nothing  again  to-day,  and  I  am  very  tired,"  she  said. 
"  Still,  I  am  to  call  at  another  store  to-morrow,  and  I  was 
wickedly  extravagant.  I  was  kept  until  it  was  too  late  for 
dinner,  and  I  bought  something  that  will  please  you  for 
supper." 

Then  as  she  turned  to  lay  the  wet  hat  down  the  blood 
rushed  to  her  face,  for  she  saw  Alton  kneeling  by  the 
hamper  and  Seaforth  standing  in  the  shadow  behind  her 
father's  chair.  The  former  did  not  rise,  but  his  comrade 
came  forward  smiling  in  another  moment. 

"  I  am  glad  we  did  not  miss  you,  as  we  were  about  to  go 
when  you  came  in,"  he  said.  "  These  are  one  or  two  trifles 
Harry  fancied  might  be  useful.  He  is  absurdly  proud  of 
all  the  products  of  Somasco,  and  seems  to  think  nobody 
can  get  anything  nice  in  the  city." 

Seaforth  also  talked  a  good  deal,  and  Miss  Townshead 
smiled  now  and  then  at  him,  but  when  she  went  with  them 
to  the  door  he  lingered  a  moment  because  he  felt  her  eyes 
were  on  him. 

"  Your  comrade  didn't  support  you  well,  and  I  don't 
think  the  expedient  would  have  occurred  to  him/'  she  said, 

129 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

with  a  little  tremor  in  her  voice.     "  Still,  it  was  done  in 
kindness — and  I  am  grateful." 

Seaforth  smiled  gravely,  though  his  face  perplexed  the 
girl.  "  A  little  faith  is  a  good  thing,  and  people  should 
believe  what  they're  told,"  said  he.  "  Now  I  wonder  if  one 
could  take  the  liberty  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl.  "  Even  if  he  had  the  best  intentions. 
I  and  my  father  have  not  lost  our  pride." 

Seaforth  sighed  as  he  turned  away,  and,  when  he  rejoined 
Alton,  stared  at  the  lights  of  the  city  savagely,  while  as 
they  passed  along  the  water-front  he  said,  "  Will  you  give 
me  a  cigar,  Harry?" 

Alton  drew  out  his  cigar-case,  glanced  at  it  a  moment, 
and  then  tossed  it  across  the  wharf.  "  What  right  have  you 
and  I  to  be  going  back  to  dinner  when  that  girl  hasn't 
enough  to  eat  ?  "  he  said.  "  You  know  what  those  cigars 
cost  me.  Lord,  what  selfish  brutes  we  are!  Now  stop 
right  here  and  tell  me  what  we  are  going  to  do ! " 

Seaforth  made  a  gesture  of  helplessness.  "  The  difficulty 
is  that  one  can't  do  anything,"  he  said.  "  You  see,  we 
can't  attempt  the  hamper  trick  too  frequently,  and  I 
scarcely  think  Miss  Townshead  would  care  to  be  indebted 
to  either  of  us  in  any  other  fashion." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  simply,  "  there  must  be  a  way 
somewhere,  and  I'm  going  to  find  it." 

"  Then,"  said  Seaforth,  with  a  trace  of  bitterness,  "  for 
the  sake  of  everybody's  peace  of  mind  I  hope  you  will.  You 
seem  especially  compassionate  towards  Miss  Townshead." 

Alton  glanced  at  him  a  moment,  and  then  laughed  a 
little.  "  I  suppose  you  can't  help  being  foolish,  Charley, 
but  you  should  know  I've  no  time  to  think  of  anything 
beyond  what  I  have  to  do  just  now,"  he  said.  "The 
biggest  contract  I've  ever  taken  hold  of  is  waiting  for 
me." 

"  I  am,"  said  Seaforth  dryly,  "  glad  to  hear  you  say  so, 
even  though  your  recent  conduct  would  make  it  somewhat 
difficult  for  most  people  to  believe  you." 

Alton  glanced  at  him  very  gravely.  "  I  don't  like  those 
jokes,"  he  said.  "  You'll  get  more  sense  as  you  grow  up, 
Charley." 

130 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  SOMASCO  CONSOLIDATED 

ALTON  left  Vancouver  by  the  Quebec  express  next  day, 
found  horses  waiting  at  the  little  station,  and  only  waiting 
while  fresh  ones  were  saddled  at  a  lonely  ranch,  took  the 
trail  again  before  the  first  faint  light  crept  out  of  the  east. 
He  also  spoke  little  with  Seaforth  during  the  journey,  and 
stared  at  the  latter,  who  drew  rein  when  the  weary  horses 
plodded,  steaming  and  bespattered  all  over,  into  the  settle- 
ment. 

"  What  are  you  stopping  for?  "  he  said. 

Seaforth  glanced  at  the  wisp  of  blue  smoke  which  hung 
about  the  pines  behind  Horton's  hotel.  "  It's  rather  more 
than  twelve  hours  since  I've  had  a  meal,"  he  said.  "  Don't 
you  ever  get  tired  or  hungry,  Harry  ?  " 

Alton  laughed.  "  Oh,  yes ;  sometimes  I  do,  but  not  usually 
when  I'm  busy.  Anyway,  if  the  beasts  hold  out  we'll  be 
getting  breakfast  at  Somasco  in  two  hours  or  so." 

Seaforth  groaned  inwardly,  but,  knowing  the  futility  of 
argument,  shook  his  bridle  and  rode  on,  lurching  a  little  in 
his  saddle  as  the  tired  horse  stumbled  into  mudholes  and 
brushed  through  dripping  fern.  By  and  by,  however,  Alton 
swung  himself  down  in  front  of  a  lonely  log-house  with  a 
big  clearing  behind  it,  where  a  man  took  .their  horses  with- 
out a  word  and  signed  them  to  enter. 

Seaforth  stretched  his  limbs  wearily,  and  would  have 
dropped  into  a  chair  but  that  Alton  stood  erect  until  the 
man  came  back  again,  and  dusting  two  seats  with  his  soft 
hat  pointed  to  them  with  a  gesture  of  hospitality.  His 
hair  and  beard  were  frosted,  his  face  was  lean  and  brown, 
and  there  were  many  wrinkles  about  his  eyes,  but  he  held 
himself  very  upright  and  pointed  to  the  stove. 

"  Ye'll  be  in  from  Vancouver.  I'll  ready  ye  some  pork 
and  flapjacks?"  he  said. 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

Alton  shook  his  head.  "  Don't  worry,  I  can't  wait,"  he 
said. 

"  Ye  are  very  welcome,"  said  the  other. 

"  Of  course !  "  said  Alton  simply ;  "  still,  I  can't  stop. 
I'm  here  to  talk  business,  Callender." 

Seaforth  noticed  that  in  face  of  the  typical  absence  of 
protest  or  compliment  there  was  nothing  the  most  critical 
could  find  fault  with  in  the  invitation  or  the  refusal.  Tl^e 
old  man  was  dressed  in  very  curiously-patched  jean,  but 
he  was  almost  stately  in  his  simplicity,  and  nothing  could 
have  been  more  apposite  than  the  little  nod  with  which 
Alton  made  his  affirmation.  It  implied  a  good  deal  more 
than  speech  could  have  done. 

"  Ye  will  be  asking  about  the  place  ? "  said  Callender. 
"I'm  wanting  three  thousand  dollars.  It's  worth  all 
that." 

Alton  nodded,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  men  understood 
each  other,  for  there  was  no  endeavour  to  lesson  or  enhance 
the  value  of  the  property.  "  It  will  be  worth  more  presently, 
but  that's  about  the  fair  thing  now,"  he  said.  , 

"  Weel,"  said  Callender  simply,  "  by  then  I  may  be  'dead. 
Twenty  years  I've  lived  on  my  lone  here,  and  I  thought  at 
one  time  I  would  be  content  to  lie  down  by  between  the 
bush  and  the  river,  but  now  a  longing  to  see  the  old  land 
grips  me.  Ye  will  not  understand  it.  Ye  were  born  in 
Canada." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  The  land  that  has  fed  me  is 
good  enough  for  me." 

The  old  man  made  a  little  gesture  of  assent.  "  Aye,"  he 
said.  "  It's  a  good  country,  but  I  feel  the  old  one  calling 
me.  It's  just  three  thousand  dollars  I'm  asking  ye." 

Alton  drew  a  sheet  which  seemed  covered  with  calcula- 
tions from  his  wallet,  and  glanced  at  it  silently.  Then  he 
looked  at  the  rancher. 

"  One  thousand  down,  one  thousand  in  six  months,  and 
the  rest  any  time  in  two  years,  with  six  per  cent.,"  he  said. 
"  You  might  get  the  dollars  in  your  wallet  if  you  made  the 
deal  with  a  land  agent  in  Vancouver." 

"  Maybe,"  said  Callender  simply ;  "  I  can  trust  ye.  I 
would  not  sell  the  place  to  anybody." 

132 


THE    SOMASCO   CONSOLIDATED 

Alton  stood  up.  "  You  shall  have  a  cheque  to-morrow," 
he  said. 

They  had  mounted  within  another  minute,  and  Alton 
glanced  with  a  little  smile  at  his  comrade  as  they  rode 
on  again. 

"  That,"  said  Seaforth,  "  was  in  a  sense  a  somewhat 
effective  scene,  but  I'm  not  sure  which  of  us  should  go  to 
the  business  school." 

Alton  laughed.  "  I  don't  often  blunder  when  I  deal  with 
a  man,"  said  he.  "  Callender  and  I  wouldn't  have  been 
better  pleased,  or  five  dollars  richer,  if  we'd  talked  all 
day." 

Seaforth  nodded,  though  his  eyes  twinkled.  "  You  don't 
seem  so  confident  about  the  other  sex  ?  "  he  said. 

Alton  gravely  pointed  to  a  towering  fir.  "  That  redwood 
would  fetch  a  good  many  dollars  in  Vancouver.  I  wonder 
when  we'll  get  those  saws  through,"  he  said. 

While  he  spoke  a  thud  of  hoofs  grew  louder,  and  pres- 
ently a  man  came  riding  in  haste  towards  them  down  the 
trail.  He  drew  bridle  when  he  recognized  them,  and  Sea- 
forth became  curious  when  he  saw  that  it  was  Hallam. 
The  latter  made  them  an  ironical  salutation,  and  sat  re- 
garding Alton  covertly  with  his  cunning  beady  eyes  until 
the  rancher  smiled. 

"  If  you  were  going  down  to  see  Callender,  I  fancy  you're 
a  little  too  late,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  wondered  whether  his  comrade  saw  the  wicked- 
ness in  the  other  man's  face,  and  the  slight  closing  of  his 
hands  upon  the  bridle.  It  was  very  perceptible  for  a  sec- 
ond, and  then  he  made  a  gesture  of  resignation. 

"  I  think  there  was  another  time  you  got  in  ahead  of 
me,  and  it  might  be  cheaper  to  buy  you  off,"  he  said.  "  You 
haven't  answered  my  letter  asking  what  you  wanted  for 
all  you're  holding  up  here,  as  well  as  the  ranch." 

Alton  flung  his  head  back  a  trifle,  and  Seaforth  knew 
what  lay  behind  his  laugh.  "  No,"  he  said ;  "  I  put  it  in 
the  stove." 

A  little  grey  spot  appeared  in  Hallam's  cheeks,  and  once 
more  his  fingers  closed  upon  the  bridle.  "  Well,  you  may 
be  sorry  by  and  by,  but  as  I'm  a  business  man  first  and 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

last  I'll  give  you  another  chance,"  he  said.  "There's  not 
room  for  two  of  us  in  this  valley,  and  with  what  I'm  hold- 
ing I  can  call  you  any  time." 

Alton's  eyes  were  half  closed  now,  and  there  was  a  glint 
in  them.  "  I've  been  figuring  on  that,"  he  said.  "  When 
I'm  ready,  I'll  let  you  see  my  hand." 

Now  if  Hallam  had  been  taught  his  business,  which  was 
an  especially  mean  one,  in  England  he  might  have  kept 
his  temper;  but  he  lacked  finish,  though  his  abilities  were 
unpleasantly  sufficient  in  the  West. 

"  Then  it  is  to  be  hoped  you'll  put  up  a  better  game  than 
you  did  at  Townshead's  ranch.  I  was  a  little  sorry  for  the 
girl,"  he  said.  "  Met  her  once  or  twice  in  Vancouver,  and 
she  didn't  seem  well  off." 

Alton  said  nothing,  but  he  pressed  his  heels  home,  and 
the  big  tired  horse  moved  forward.  The  trail  was  narrow 
just  there,  and  wound  through  a  quaggy  belt  where  tall 
wild  cabbage  grew  out  of  black  depths  of  mire.  There  was 
also  no  room  for  Hallam  to  wheel  his  horse  on  the  slippery 
sawn-up  logs,  and  Alton  urged  his  beast  on,  glancing  im- 
perturbably  at  the  man  in  front  of  him. 

Again  the  grey  crept  into  Hallam's  face,  and  a  very 
unpleasant  look  in  his  eyes,  but  he  drew  his  bridle,  and 
next  moment  his  horse  was  floundering  in  the  mire.  Alton 
laughed  a  little  as  he  rode  on  without  glancing  behind 
him. 

"  That  may  have  been  pleasant,"  said  Seaforth  dryly, 
"  but  in  view  of  what  I  saw  in  Hallam's  face  I  don't  know 
that  it  was  wise." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  I  think  it  was.  There's  only  one 
way  of  arguing  with  a  panther,  and  that  beast's  a  good 
deal  less  dangerous  than  Hallam  is.  Now  you'll  ride  in 
to  the  settlement  to-morrow,  and  put  up  a  notice  at  the 
store :  '  The  ranchers  of  the  Somasco  district  are  requested 
to  attend  a  meeting  at  6.30,  Saturday.'  At  the  bottom 
you'll  put  a  big  '  Important.'  I've  got  to  have  a  talk  with 
you  to-night." 

He  made  a  hasty  breakfast  when  they  reached  the  ranch, 
and  was  busy  at  the  sawmill,  from  which  he  did  not  re- 
turn until  supper,  all  day,  so  that  it  was  not  until  that  meal 


THE   SOMASCO   CONSOLIDATED 

was  finished  and  he  was  waiting  for  Seaforth  that  he  had 
speech  with  Miss  Deringham.  She  sat  by  the  stove  ap- 
parently occupied  with  some  delicate  embroidery,  but  it 
was  possible  that  her  attention  was  not  confined  to  the 
stitches.  Alton  sat  near  her,  looking  straight  before  him, 
in  a  deerhide  chair,  and  it  was  significant  that  neither 
of  them  found  speech  necessary.  The  man's  face  was 
somewhat  grim,  and  the  girl  wondered  what  he  was 
thinking. 

"  You  apparently  did  not  find  Vancouver  enlivening," 
she  said. 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  I  took  one  or  two  little  worries 
along,  and  found  another  when  I  got  there." 

Miss  Deringham  went  on  with  her  embroidery  for  a 
while,  and  then  glanced  at  the  man  again.  "  I  wonder 
if  any  of  them  were  connected  with  the  sale  of  Townshead's 
ranch  ?  "  she  said. 

Alton  smiled  a  little.  "  I'm  getting  kind  of  afraid  of 
you,"  he  said.  "  One  of  them  was." 

Alice  Deringham  laughed  prettily,  and  was  inwardly 
contented.  She  had  been  used  to  influence  and  admiration, 
but  there  was  a  subtle  pleasure  in  being  the  recipient  of. 
this  man's  homage,  while  she  surmised  that  had  he  not 
offered  her  all  of  it  he  would  not  have  made  the  admission 
concerning  Townshead. 

"Your  recent  neighbour  is  not  doing  well  down  there?" 
she  said.  "  I  am  sorry  for  Miss  Townshead." 

Alton  nodded,  and  his  face  was  sombre  as  well  as  piti- 
ful. "  It's  very  rough  on  a  girl  of  that  kind,  and  she's 
true  grit  right  through,"  he  said.  "  I'm  thankful  you  don't 
know  what  some  women  who  have  to  earn  their  living 
doing  what  used  to  be  men's  work  in  the  cities  have  to  put 
up  with." 

"  Still,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  "  I  can  guess.  Miss 
Townshead  was  working  at  something  uncongenial  for  a 
livelihood,  and  was  not  especially  cordial  to  you  ?  " 

Alton  looked  at  her  gravely.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  She 
hadn't  even  found  that  something  yet,  and  she  was  very 
kind.  That's  what  made  me  feel  it  worst." 

"  Of  course  she  would  not  have  shown  you  what  she 

135 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

thought,"  said  the  girl  a  trifle  dryly.  "  And  you  were  not 
responsible  in  any  case." 

Alton  glanced  at  her  with  some  bewilderment.  "No?" 
he  said.  "  I'm  sitting  here  with  all  that  a  man  could  wish 
for,  while  that  girl,  who  was  used  to  all  the  good  things 
you  have  in  the  old  country,  walks  round  and  round  the 
city  looking  for  something  she  can  earn  a  few  dollars  at, 
when  I  might  have  fixed  things  differently  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  Tom.  It's  hard  to  feel  there's  a  meaner  man  than  I 
am  in  the  Dominion." 

Miss  Deringham  saw  the  veins  rise  on  his  forehead  and 
the  glint  in  his  eyes,  and  shivered  a  little  as  she  hoped  the 
man  would  never  discover  it  was  not  the  rancher  who  had 
brought  the  shame  upon  him. 

"  Would  it  have  been  possible  for  you  to  do  anything 
to  help  them  if  you  had  reached  the  ranch  in  time  ?  "  she 
said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  simply,  "  I  think  it  would.  And 
it  would  have  been  better  for  everybody  in  the  dis- 
trict." 

Though  the  girl  did  not  altogether  understand  him,  his 
very  quietness  was  impressive,  for  she  knew  by  this  time 
that  what  he  stated  was  usually  rather  more  than  less  the 
fact. 

"  Well,"  she  said  lightly,  "  it  was  not  your  fault,  and  you 
will  forget  it  presently." 

Alton  smiled  wryly.  "  I  don't  know,"  he  said.  "  There 
are  some  kinds  of  stains  that  don't  wash  out,  but  you're 
only  wishing  tto  be  kind  to  me  because  you  understand  all 
that  better  than  I  do  in  the  old  country." 

The  girl  glanced  aside  and  dropped  her  needle,  while 
when  she  spoke  her  voice  was  a  trifle  strained.  "  Do  you 
know  that  you  bushmen  have  made  me  ashamed  once  or 
twice?  "  she  said.  "  I  am  afraid  there  is  a  great  disappoint- 
ment waiting  for  you  when  you  see  us  as  we  are." 

Alton  rose  as  her  father  and  Seaforth  came  in,  with  a 
curious  little  inclination  of  his  head  which  came  well  from 
him.  "  That  simply  couldn't  be,"  he  said.  "  Well,  it's  a 
pity  I  couldn't  tell  you  all  you  have  done  for  me  already — 
and  that's  one  reason  why  I'm  so  sorry  the  other  thing  will 

136 


THE   SOMASCO   CONSOLIDATED 

not  wash  out.  Now  Charley  and  I  have  a  good  deal  to  do, 
and  you'll  excuse  me." 

He  went  out  with  his  comrade,  and  Deringham  smiled 
at  his  daughter.  "  He  is  learning  rapidly.  Still,  I  fancy 
the  man  will  feel  it  when — and  I  am  of  course  speaking 
impersonally — he  finds  you  out,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  laughed,  though  she  was  not  conscious 
of  much  amusement  just  then,  and  pointed  to  the  bookcase 
close  by  her. 

"  It  is  really  not  his  fault,  if  that  is  where  he  gets  his 
fancies  from,"  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  Deringham,  nodding.  "  We  grow  out  of 
them  at  sixteen  in  the  old  country.  Of  course,  Tennyson, 
Kingsley,  Scott.  Now  I  wonder  if  he  would  find  Elaine 
a  more  common  type  than  Vivienne  if  he  went  home  to 
Carnaby.  Still,  if  you  look  a  little  more  closely,  there  is 
literature  which  might  throw  a  slightly  different  light  upon 
the  man's  character.  I  notice  a  bulky  volume  on  soft- 
wooded  trees,  somebody  on  trigonometry,  geology  in  re- 
lation to  mining,  and  what  I  recognize  as  a  standard  work 
on  finance  and  banking." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled.  "  Do  you  know  I  fancy  that 
Alton  of  Somasco  would  with  a  little  training  make  his 
mark  at  home,"  she  said.  "  Has  he  mentioned  any  inten- 
tion of  returning  with  you  ?  " 

Deringham's  face  grew  a  trifle  sombre.  "  He  has  not. 
We  will  talk  of  something  else,"  he  said. 

Alton  and  Seaforth  sat  up  late  that  night,  but  what  their 
conversation  was  did  not  appear  until  they  walked  into 
a  room  at  the  rear  of  Horton's  store  just  as  supper  was 
being  cleared  away  on  the  Saturday  evening.  The  nights 
were  already  growing  cold,  and  a  pile  of  pinewood  crackled 
in  the  stove,  while  the  light  of  two  big  lamps  fell  upon  the 
bronzed  faces  of  grave  jean-clad  men,  all  turned  expec- 
tantly towards  Alton.  He  sat  down  at  the  head  of  the 
table,  with  Seaforth  beside  him,  and  Horton,  got  up  in  a 
frayed-out  white  shirt  from  which  his  bony  wrists  and  red 
neck  protruded  grotesquely,  at  the  foot.  The  rest  sat  on 
the  table  and  sundry  boxes  and  barrels  smoking  tranquilly. 
They  were,  for  the  most  part,  silent  men  who  waged  a  grim 

137 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

and  ceaseless  warfare  with  the  forest,  and  disdained  any 
indication  of  curiosity.  Nobody  asked  a  question,  but  the 
steady  eyes  which  watched  the  convener  of  the  meeting 
were  mildly  inquiring  when  he  rose  up. 

"  I  sent  for  you,  boys,  because  it  seemed  the  fairest  thing," 
he  said.  "  Now  somebody  has  got  to  take  hold  with  a 
tight  grip  if  the  dollars  that  are  coming  into  it  are  to  go 
to  the  men  who  have  done  the  work  in  this  valley.  You 
have  seen  what  has  happened  down  Washington  and  Ore- 
gon way,  and  we  don't  any  of  us  want  it  here  in  Canada. 
When  the  good  time  came  was  it  the  man  who'd  put  in 
his  twelve  hours  daily  with  the  axe  and  crosscut  who  got 
the  dollars,  or  the  one  who  lived  soft  in  the  cities  ?  " 

There  was  a  little  growl  from  several  among  the  as- 
sembly, for  most  of  those  who  sat  there  realized  that  it  was 
usually  the  mortgage  broker  and  speculator  who  reaped 
where  the  toilers  with  axe  and  saw  had  sown. 

"  There'll  have  to  be  laws  made  to  hold  them  fellows' 
grip  off  the  poor  man,"  said  somebody. 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  Well,"  he  said  dryly,  "  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  poor  man  should  do  a  little  of  the  holding 
off  himself.  Now  I  want  you  to  listen  carefully.  Within 
twelve  months  you'll  see  a  new  wagon-road  cut  south 
towards  the  big  river,  and  inside  two  years  the  surveyors 
running  the  line  for  a  new  railroad  into  the  Somasco 
valley." 

The  men  stared  at  the  speaker,  and  there  was  a  murmur, 
almost  of  doubt,  and  wonder.  They  knew  what  that  prom- 
ise meant,  and  it  implied  the  opening  of  mines  and  mills, 
a  market  for  all  they  could  raise  on  the  spot,  and  the 
quadrupling  in  value  of  every  ranch.  Alton  sat  quietly  im- 
perturbable at  the  head  of  the  table. 

"  And  you  believe  the  thing's  going  to  be  ?  "  said  some- 
body. 

"  I  think."  said  Alton  quietly,  "  I  have  just  told  you  so." 

There  was  another  murmur,  of  strong  and  patient  men's 
unexpressed  exultation,  and  Seaforth  noticed  that  they  had 
accepted  his  comrade's  statement,  without  further  question, 
implicitly.  They  were  in  some  respects  simple,  and  the 
complex  life  of  the  cities  was  unknown  to  most  of  them, 

138 


THE   SOMASCO   CONSOLIDATED 

but  they  had  seen  human  nature  stripped  of  its  veneer  in 
the  bush  and  understood  it  well.  It  was  a  delicate  com- 
pliment they  had  paid  Alton,  and  the  little  flush  in  his  face 
showed  that  he  realized  it. 

"  It's  great  news,"  said  somebody. 

Alton  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  Now  I  can't  tell  you 
exactly  why  I  know  this  thing  will  come,  and  you  wouldn't 
be  any  worse  off  if  I  were  wrong.  Further,  you  see  I 
might  have  gone  ahead  and  brought  you  up  without  speak- 
ing a  word  to  you." 

A  man  got  up  from  a  barrel.  "  No,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I'm 
not  going  to  disturb  this  meeting,  but  that's  just  what  you 
couldn't  do.  It  wouldn't  be  like  Somasco  Harry." 

There  was  grave  applause,  but  the  glint  in  the  steady 
eyes  was  pleasant  to  see,  and  Seaforth  felt  a  curious  thrill 
as  he  glanced  at  his  partner.  Alton,  however,  proceeded 
quietly. 

"  I  needn't  tell  you  what  it  means,"  he  said.  "  It  may 
mean  anything,  including  a  wooden  city.  You  know  it  as 
well  as  I  do,  but  I'm  going  to  tell  you  this.  Unless  you 
hold  tight  to  your  own,  and  do  a  little  for  yourselves,  when 
the  good  time  comes  you'll  be  left  out  in  the  cold.  There's 
a  man  who  sees  this  better  than  you  or  I  feeling  for  a  grip 
on  the  Somasco  valley,  and  there'll  be  very  little  left  for 
the  rest  of  us  if  he  gets  it." 

"  Hallam  of  the  Tyee,"  a  growl  ran  down  the  table. 

Alton  nodded.  "  Yes,"  said  he.  "  Now  you  have  seen 
poor  men  frozen  out  of  their  ranches  and  claims  by  men 
with  money  in  other  parts  of  this  country  as  well  as  across 
the  frontier,  and  there's  usually  only  one  end  to  the  battle 
when  the  man  without  the  dollars  kicks  against  the  man 
with  plenty.  Stay  right  where  you  are  with  mortgages 
held  open,  timber  rights  that  are  lapsing  because  you've 
done  nothing,  and  undeveloped  mineral  claims,  and  the 
man  who  sits  scheming  while  you're  resting  will  squeeze 
you  out  one  by  one." 

"  It  has  happened  before,"  said  somebody,  and  there  was 
silence  for  a  space.  The  men  had  spent  the  best  years 
of  their  life  hewing  the  clearings  that  grew  so  slowly 
farther  into  the  virgin  forest,  faring  sparingly,  and  only 

139. 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

quitting  that  herculean  toil  to  earn  sufficient  dollars  rail- 
road building  or  working  at  the  mines  to  feed  them  when 
they  continued  it  again.  They  had  sown  the  best  that  was 
in  them  of  mind  and  body,  giving  all  they  had,  courage 
that  never  faltered,  as  well  as  the  ceaseless  effort  of  over- 
strained muscle,  and  as  yet  their  fee  was  but  the  right 
to  hope  and  toil.  And  now,  they  knew,  it  was  once  more 
possible  that  the  full-fleshed  taxer  of  other  men's  labours 
would  sweep  what  was  theirs  into  his  garner. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  And  what  has  happened  before 
will  happen  again — unless  you  stir  round  and  stop  it. 
That's  the  only  use  in  remembering  things.  Standing 
alone,  Hallam  and  his  crowd  will  squeeze  you  out  one  by 
one;  standing  fast  together  for  what  is  your  own,  you're 
fit  to  choke  off  anybody,  and  what  I've  called  you  here 
for  is  to  see  whether  we  can't  fix  up  a  Co-operative  Com- 
pany !  " 

A  man  stood  up  with  a  light  in  his  eyes.  "  Then  you've 
hit  the  thing  plumb  where  you  wanted,"  he  said.  "  Whose 
standing  in  with  Alton  of  Somasco,  boys?" 

There  was  a  roar  this  time,  and  then  a  silence  as  if  the 
assembly  felt  that  they  had  done  an  unseemly  thing,  but  it 
was  evident  that  they  were  all  of  them  ready. 

"  I  figure  you've  got  a  programme  ?  "  said  somebody. 

"  I  have,"  said  Alton.  "  I'll  have  a  bigger  one  by  and 
by,  but  in  the  meanwhile  it  includes  the  selling  of  timber 
in  place  of  destroying  it,  and  a  doubling  right  off  of  the 
Somasco  mill.  It  also  takes  in  a  gristmill,  the  recording 
of  more  timber  rights,  and  most  of  you  getting  in  on  the 
ground  floor  of  a  new  silver  mine.  There's  to  be  an  office 
down  in  Vancouver,  and  a  desiccated  fruit  store,  and  the 
best  men  we  can  get  hold  of  to  run  them.  Now  sit  still 
while  I  read  what  might  do  for  a  scheme." 

They  sat  very  still,  and  even  Seaforth,  who  knew  his 
comrade,  wondered  a  little,  for  that  scheme,  while  crude  in 
one  or  two  directions,  was  eminently  workable.  It  provided 
for  a  pro  rata  division  of  profits  and  partition  of  expenses, 
while  each  man  would  retain  the  control  of  his  own  holding, 
and  those  who  listened  nodded  now  and  then  as  they  noted 
the  efficiency  of  some  portion  of  the  plan  of  co-operation. 

140 


THE    SOMASCO   CONSOLIDATED 

"  Now,"  said  Alton  quietly,  laying  down  the  paper. 
"  That's  my  notion.  I'm  willing  to  listen  if  any  man  can 
bring  out  a  better." 

There  was  a  silence  until  Horton  rose  up  at  the  foot  of 
the  table,  glass  in  hand.  "  I,"  he  said  simply,  "  don't  think 
he  can.  Every  dollar  I  can  raise  is  going  in,  and  we're  all 
standing  in  with  Alton.  Here's  the  Somasco  Consolidated, 
and  to with  Hallam." 

There  was  a  roar  louder  than  the  first  one,  a  clink  of 
glasses,  and  forgetting  their  reticence  for  once  the  big 
bronzed  men  thronged  about  the  one  who  smiled  at  them 
from  the  head  of  the  table. 


141 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  COMPACT 

AFTER  the  first  meeting  of  the  Somasco  Consolidated, 
Alton  was  frequently  absent  from  the  ranch,  and  spent  most 
of  the  nights  shut  up  with  bulky  books,  while  he  also 
apparently  became  involved  in  an  extensive  correspond- 
ence with  the  cities.  There  were,  however,  times  when 
Miss  Deringham  surprised  him  standing  still  and  gazing 
into  vacancy,  which  was  distinctly  unusual  with  him,  but 
the  girl,  who  had  once  or  twice  noticed  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
her  and  signs  of  an  inward  conflict  in  his  face,  was  not 
displeased.  She  could  arrive  at  a  tolerably  accurate  deduc- 
tion as  well  as  most  young  women. 

In  the  meanwhile  Seaforth  had  gone  down  to  Vancouver, 
and  Deringham  still  appeared  content  to  linger  at  Somasco. 
He  had,  his  daughter  knew,  been  ordered  a  lengthy  rest, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  tranquillity  of  the  mountain 
ranch  was  benefiting  him  physically,  though  now  and  then 
the  girl  noticed  that  his  face  was  anxious  when  communica- 
tions from  England  reached  him.  She  was  also,  for  no 
reason  she  was  willing  to  admit,  content  to  remain  a  little 
longer  at  Somasco. 

One  night  when  she  was  sitting  meditatively  in  the  room 
set  apart  for  her  use,  Alton  passed  the  half-opened  door, 
and  noticing  the  curious  slowness  of  his  pace  she  signed 
him  to  enter.  She  had,  somewhat  to  the  indignation  of 
Mrs.  Margery,  taken  the  room  in  hand,  and  with  the  aid  of 
a  few  sundries  surreptitiously  brought  from  Vancouver  with 
Seaforth's  connivance,  made  a  transformation  in  its  aspect. 
A  red  curtain  hung  behind  the  door.  There  were  a  few 
fine  furs  which  Seaforth  had  collected  here  and  there  about 
the  ranch  upon  the  floor,  and  Alton,  who  had  just  returned 
from  a  ride  of  forty  miles  through  the  mire  and  rain,  stopped 
a  moment  upon  the  threshold.  He  was  a  man  of  quick 

142 


THE   COMPACT 

perceptions,  and  all  he  saw  seemed  stamped  with  the  per- 
sonality of  its  occupant. 

It  was  dainty,  and  essentially  feminine,  and  he  became, 
for  perhaps  the  first  time,  uneasily  conscious  of  his  own 
solid  masculine  proportions  and  bespattered  garments  as  he 
glanced  deprecatingly  at  the  girl.  She  lay  with  lithe  grace- 
fulness in  a  basket  chair,  very  collected  and  very  pretty, 
while  he  dimly  understood  that  the  fact  that"  she  did  not 
move  but  only  smiled  at  him  implied  a  good  deal.  A 
brightness  flashed  into  his  eyes  and  sank  out  of  them 
again. 

"  Come  in  and  sit  down,"  she  said.  "  I  have  seen  very 
little  of  you  lately,  and  you  seem  tired.  Half-an-hour's 
casual  chatter  will  do  you  no  harm,  although  it  may  appear 
to  you  a  terrible  waste  of  time." 

Alton  came  in  and  dropped  into  a  chair  which  creaked 
beneath  him.  His  face  was  somewhat  weary,  and  the  girl 
noticed  the  stiffness  of  his  movements.  He  also  looked 
about  him  with  a  curious  expression  which  seemed  to  suggest 
reverence  in  his  eyes. 

"  No,"  he  said  gravely,  "  it  wouldn't  be  a  waste  of  time." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled  a  little,  and  moved  one  foot  a 
trifle  nearer  the  stove.  It  was  little,  and  delicately  moulded, 
and  lost  nothing  from  being  encased  in  a  very  open  bronze 
slipper.  Alton,  noticing  the  slight  rustle  of  fabric  which 
accompanied  the  movement,  glanced  towards  it,  and  then 
turned  his  eyes  away. 

"  You  see  I  have  been  taking  liberties,"  said  the  girl. 
"  All  this  is  very  tawdry,  isn't  it  ?  " 

Alton's  eyes  were  wistful.  "  No.  Do  you  know,  this 
place  has  quite  an  effect  on  me.  It  makes  me  feel — as  if 
I  were  in  church,"  said  he. 

Miss  Deringham's  face  was  not  responsive.  There  were 
times  when  she  was  sensible  of  a  curious  compunction  in 
this  rancher's  presence.  "  A  sensation  of  that  kind  is  apt 
to  become  oppressive,"  she  said.  "When  we  have  gone 
you  will  throw  these  things  away." 

The  man  seemed  to  wince,  as  though  the  contemplation 
of  something  was  painful  to  him,  but  he  looked  at  his 
companion  gravely. 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  I  think  I  shall  screw  the  door  up  tight,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  laughed  musically.  "  Now  I  think  that 
was  very  pretty,"  she  said.  "  It  seems  commonplace  to  offer 
you  a  cup  of  coffee  after  it,  and  no  doubt  you  will  consider 
the  indulgence  in  such  luxuries  a  sign  of  weakness.  I  have 
reasons  for  believing  that  Mrs.  Margery  does." 

Alton  smiled  somewhat  grimly.  "  I'm  just  about  as  fond 
of  good  things  as  most  other  men,"  he  said.  "  The  difficulty 
was  that  I  seldom  had  the  chance  of  getting  them." 

Miss  Deringham  busied  herself  with  a  spirit  lamp,  and 
Alton  watched  her  with  a  little  glint  in  his  eyes.  Possibly 
the  girl  knew  that  her  movements  were  graceful  as  she  bent 
over  the  lamp,  and  that  the  light  from  the  one  above  her 
struck  a  fine  sparkle  from  her  hair.  She  may  also  have 
been  aware  that  the  picture  had  its  attractions  for  a  man 
who  had  lived  a  grim  life  of  toil  and  self-denial,  as  this  one 
had  done. 

"  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  this  coffee  is  not  the  same 
that  we  had  when  we  first  came  to  Somasco,"  she  said. 

Alton  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed.  "  I  had  to  go  down 
and  worry  Horton  about  one  or  two  little  things,"  he  said. 
"  It's  good  for  him  occasionally,  and  he  had  been  sending 
me  flour  we  couldn't  use  lately." 

Miss  Deringham  nodded,  though  she  was  quite  aware 
that  the  storekeeper  was  scarcely  likely  to  supply  axemen 
and  ranchers,  whose  tastes  were  simple  and  dollars  scarce, 
with  what  she  guessed  by  its  bouquet  was  the  finest  product 
of  Costa  Rica.  If  she  had  not  been,  she  was  capable  of 
deducing  a  little  from  the  stamp  upon  the  packets  she  had 
seen  in  Mrs.  Margery's  store,  which  showed  that  they  had 
come  direct  from  Vancouver. 

Alton  took  up  the  cup  handed  him,  and  leaned  back  in 
his  chair  with  a  little  gesture  of  content,  while  the  girl 
smiled  as  she  glanced  at  him. 

"  You  bear  it  very  well,"  she  said. 

The  man  looked  at  her  with  a  bewildered  expression  for 
a  moment  or  two.  Then  he  laughed.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  I 
find  it  wonderfully  nice." 

There  was  an  underlying  sincerity  in  his  voice,  and  Alice 
Deringham  driven  by  curiosity  went  a  step  farther. 

144 


THE    COMPACT 

"  The  coffee  ?  "  she  said. 

She  was  almost  sorry  next  moment,  for  she  had  at  other 
times  called  up  considerably  more  than  she  had  expected 
or  desired  from  the  unsounded  depths  of  the  man's  nature. 
For  a  second  or  two  there  was  a  great  wistfulness,  which 
changed  into  a  little  glow  she  shrank  from,  in  his  eyes.  He 
turned  them  upon  her,  and  then  away,  and  they  were  once 
more  grave  when  he  looked  back  again.  Still^  she  guessed 
what  that  effort  had  cost  him. 

"  No,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I  did  not  mean  the  coffee. 
You  see,  I  had  never  until  you  came  here  been  used  to 
anything  smooth  or  pretty." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled  a  little,  for  she  understood. 
The  man,  she  thought,  was  willing  she  should  accept  the 
somewhat  pointless  compliment  as  the  sequence  of  his 
former  speech,  to  cover  his  mistake  if  he  had  betrayed 
more  than  he  thought  desirable.  It  also  increased  her 
liking  for  him,  since  it  appeared  that  Alton  was  capable  of 
self-restraint.  There  was,  however,  no  mistaking  what  she 
had  seen,  and  the  girl  remembered  that  one  of  the 
Winnipeg  ladies  she  travelled  with,  who  had  visited  one  of 
the  weird  valleys  across  the  American  frontier,  described 
to  her  the  fascination  of  throwing  stones  into  the  basin  of 
a  geyser  to  see  how  many  it  would  take  before  it  erupted. 
During  her  intercourse  with  rancher  Alton,  Alice  Deringham 
had  experienced  the  sensation. 

"  You  have  been  working  too  hard  lately,  and  worrying, 
too,  I  think,"  she  said. 

Alton  laughed  a  little,  and  then  glanced  at  the  stove  for 
a  while  in  silence,  as  though  communing  with  himself. 
When  he  looked  up  again  the  girl  fancied  that  he  had 
decided  something.  "  Work  hurts  nobody.  It's  the  worry 
that  leaves  the  mark,"  he  said,  with  a  smile.  "  Of  course,  a 
good  many  people  will  have  told  you  that  before.  Yes, 
I've  been  thinking  a  good  deal  lately." 

"It  is  occasionally  a  solace  to  tell  one's  friends  one's 
thoughts,"  said  Miss  Deringham. 

"Well,"  said  Alton  gravely,  "there's  a  thing  I  feel  I 
should  do,  and  yet  I  don't  want  to,  because  it  would  stand 
in  the  way  of  my  doing  something  else." 

145 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  That  is  a  somewhat  common  difficulty/"  said  Alice 
Deringham.  "  It  depends  upon  the  importance  to  yourself, 
or  others,  of  the  first  thing." 

Alton  nodded.  "  There  are,"  he  said,  "  men  in  this 
district  who  have  worked  very  hard,  not  for  the  bare  living 
the  ranch  gives  them,  because  some  have  put  a  good  deal 
more  into  the  land  than  they  have  taken  out  of  it,  but  for 
what  it  will  give  them  presently.  Now,  unless  somebody 
does  the  right  thing  for  them,  another  man  will  walk  right 
in  and  take  all  they  have  worked  for  away.  I  wouldn't 
like  that  to  happen,  because  I  am  one  of  them,  you  see." 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Deringham.  "  Still,  surmising  that  you 
are  the  somebody,  I  wonder  if  you  have  a  more  convincing 
reason." 

A  little  flush  seemed  to  creep  into  Alton's  bronzed  face. 
"  I  find  I  can  talk  to  you  as  I  never  did  to  any  one  else," 
he  said.  "  Well,  this  valley's  waiting  to  feed  a  host  of 
people,  and  teeming  with  riches  that  somebody  is  wanting, 
and  I  feel  it's  my  task  to  do  the  best  I  can  for  it.  Now, 
when  one  feels  that,  and  does  nothing,  he's  putting  a  load 
he  was  meant  to  carry  on  other  people's  shoulders." 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Deringham.  "  Still,  isn't  it  slightly 
egotistical.  There  may  be  other  men  who  could  do  what 
is  necessary  better." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  You  get  right  home  every 
time,"  he  said.  "  I've  been  thinking  the  same  thing,  but, 
though  I  wanted  to,  I  couldn't  find  the  man,  and  there 
isn't  much  use  in  running  away  from  the  work  that's  set 
out  for  you." 

Alice  Deringham  understood  him  because  she  was  a 
somewhat  intellectual  young  woman,  though  she  had,  and 
possibly  fortunately,  but  seldom  been  required  to  decide 
between  inclination  and  duty  in  any  affair  of  importance 
hitherto.  There  was  also  something  that  touched  her  in 
the  man's  simple  faithfulness. 

"  And  you  are  going  to  do  a  good  deal  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  I  should  like  to. 
You  see,  we  want  roads  and  mills,  and  an  office  down  there 
in  the  city." 

"  And,"  said  the  girl,  "  that  means  money.'* 

146 


THE   COMPACT 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  When  a  man  goes  round  borrowing 
he  finds  out  that  the  folks  who  have  got  the  dollars  like  to 
keep  them.  That's  why  I'm  going  up  to  look  for  Jimmy's 
silver  mine." 

Miss  Deringham  shivered  a  little.  "  Winter  is  coming 
on,"  she  said.  "  The  last  man  who  looked  for  it  was  frozen 
— and  there  is  Carnaby." 

The  girl's  pulses  throbbed  a  little  faster  as  she  spoke, 
and  there  was  nothing  in  the  man's  face  which  escaped  her 
attention.  Again  the  curious  glint  became  apparent  in  his 
eyes,  and  the  warm  bronze  a  little  deeper  in  tint. 

"  I  might  raise  some  dollars  on  Carnaby,  but  I  don't  want 
to,"  he  said. 

Miss  Deringham  had  seen  sufficient,  and  decided  to 
change  the  topic.  "  So  you  intend  to  find  the  silver?  "  she 
said. 

"Yes,"  said  Alton  simply.  "I  feel  I  have  got  to  do 
that— first." 

There  was  a  significant  silence,  and  the  girl  leaned  back 
in  her  chair,  conscious  without  resentment  that  the  man 
was  watching  her.  Her  eyes  were  softer  than  usual,  the 
faintest  trace  of  colour  showed  in  her  cheek,  while  the  light 
evening  dress  emphasized  the  fine  sweep  of  curve  and  line 
that  was  further  accentuated  by  her  pose.  The  lamp  that 
hung  above  her  smote  a  track  of  brightness  athwart  her  red- 
gold  hair,  until  she  slightly  moved  her  head  so  that  while 
part  of  the  full  round  neck  showed  in  its  snowy  whiteness 
her  face  was  in  the  shadow. 

"  I  think  you  will  be  successful.  I  hope  you  will,"  she 
said. 

It  was  evident  that  the  man  understood  all  that  was 
meant,  but  he  rose  with  an  apparent  effort.  "And  now  I 
have  a  good  deal  to  do,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  also  rose  with  a  little  stateliness,  and 
when  he  had  gone  out  sank  down  contemplatively  into  the 
chair  again.  Her  hands  lay  open  in  her  lap,  and  it  is 
possible  that  she  saw  nothing  of  the  sewing  they  rested  on 
as  she  grappled  with  the  question  why  had  the  man  told 
her  what  he  had  done.  There  were  two  apparent  reasons, 
for  Alice  Deringham  realized  that  there  was  a  certain 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

greatness  behind  his  simplicity.  Granting  that,  she  could 
see  his  standpoint  clearly,  though  it  was  more  difficult  to 
understand  why  such  a  man  had  made  it  evident  to  her. 
He  was,  she  knew,  not  one  to  stoop  even  to  win  a  woman's 
good  opinion,  and  would  have  seen  that  in  this  direction 
silence  became  him  best,  unless  he  felt  that  while  so  much 
was  due  to  honour  there  was  something  due  to  her. 

He  had  told  her  simply  that  it  was  not  to  please  himself 
he  was  going  out  to  look  for  the  silver  just  then,  and  the 
deduction  was  that  the  expedition  had  no  attractions  for 
him  because  he  wished  to  stay  at  the  ranch.  Allowing 
that,  the  revelation  of  his  motive  had  not  been  purposeless. 
It  was  only  his  responsibility  drove  him  away  from  her,  and 
there  was  a  vague  but  effective  compliment  in  the  implication 
that  she  would  recognize  it.  Still,  this  train  of  reasoning 
had  led  Alice  Deringham  far  enough,  and  she  sought 
distraction  from  it  in  her  embroidery,  which  during  the 
next  hour  progressed  but  indifferently. 

It  was  a  day  or  two  later  when  Alton  drew  Deringham 
into  his  room  when  he  came  in  bemired  all  over  from  the 
settlement,  and  the  financier  noticed  that  the  table  and  most 
of  the  floor  was  littered  with  books,  survey  plans,  and  mis- 
cellaneous papers. 

"  I'll  have  to  leave  this  place  for  a  little,"  he  said.  "  I'm 
going  up  to  find  the  silver,  but  the  ranch  and  all  that's  in 
it  is  at  your  service  just  as  long  as  it  pleases  you.  If  all 
goes  as  I  expect  it,  I  shall  be  back  in  a  month  or  so,  and 
would  be  glad  to  find  you  still  at  Somasco.  Then,  if  you 
are  ready,  Charley  and  I  will  go  back  to  the  old  country 
with  you.  A  lawyer  in  Vancouver  has  written  to  an  English 
accountant  for  me,  and  with  him  to  help  us  we  can  fix  up 
all  about  Carnaby." 

Now  Deringham  had  up  to  that  moment  still  retained  a 
hope  that  he  could  arrive  at  an  understanding  with  Alton 
respecting  Carnaby  on  the  spot.  As  it  was,  unless  he 
could  gain  time,  exposure  and  even  worse  things  stared 
him  in  the  face.  It  had  been  comparatively  simple  to 
hoodwink  his  co-trustee,  but  it  would  be  very  different  with 
an  accountant  of  reputation,  and  he  had  also  grown  afraid 
of  Alton's  instinctive  grasp  of  whatever  subject  he  turned 

148 


THE   COMPACT 

his  attention  to.  There  was,  of  course,  much  the  rancher 
did  not  know,  but  that  left  him  with  attention  the  more 
concentrated  upon  issues  of  importance. 

Deringham,  however,  showed  but  little  evidence  of 
dismay  or  astonishment.  Had  he  been  liable  to  do  so,  he 
would  not  have  held  his  own  so  long  in  the  occupation  he 
followed.  His  breath  came  a  trifle  more  quickly,  and  his 
hand  trembled  a  little,  but  he  rested  it  upon  the  table,  and 
all  that  Alton  noticed  was  a  curious  little  movement 
about  the  corner  of  his  eyes.  The  rancher,  however,  remem- 
bered it. 

"  Well,"  said  Deringham,  "  I  must  endeavour  if  possible 
to  return  to  England  with  you.  When  you  spoke  of  being 
away  a  month  you  seemed  to  contemplate  a  possibility  of 
being  absent  longer." 

Alton  nodded.  "  I  did,"  he  said.  "  The  man  who  found 
the  silver  is  lying  up  there  still,  but  I've  provided  for  any- 
thing of  that  kind  happening  to  me,  as  you  will  see  in  a  day 
or  two.  Now  I  don't  think  we  need  worry  any  more  until 
we  get  to  Carnaby." 

Deringham  made  a  gesture  of  concurrence,  but  the  grim 
irony  of  Alton's  speech  occurred  to  him  as  he  went  out  to 
grapple  with  his  torturing  anxiety.  At  first  he  could 
scarcely  think  of  anything  consecutively,  and  once  more  the 
picture  of  a  man  hanging  by  a  juniper-bush  with  a  river 
frothing  down  the  gorge  below  rose  up  persistently  before 
his  memory.  It  was  replaced  by  another  of  a  grim  silent 
figure  keeping  watch  with  eyes  that  never  ceased  their  fixed 
stare  beside  a  frozen  trail. 

On  the  second  day  afterwards  he  sauntered  into  Horton's 
store  and  .  found  Hallam  there.  The  mining  speculator 
appeared  ironically  amused,  the  storekeeper  flushed  and 
savage,  but  when  Hallam  turned  to  Deringham  there  was 
something  in  his  manner  that  suggested  they  had  not  met 
by  accident. 

"  I've  been  telling  the  storekeeper  not  to  lay  in  too  many 
Somascos  just  yet,  and  have  got  to  put  in  the  time  here  for 
an  hour  or  two,"  he  said.  "  Know  any  reason  why  you 
shouldn't  have  a  drink  with  me  ?  " 

They  strolled  into  an  adjoining  room,  and  Horton,  who 

149 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

supplied  them  with  a  bottle  and  glasses,  came  back  smiling 
sardonically.  "  Now  if  Hallam  hadn't  put  it  that  way  I 
mightn't  have  thought  anything,"  said  he.  "  Still,  when  a 
man  of  his  kind  takes  the  trouble  to  tell  one  anything  it's  a 
blame  good  reason  for  not  believing  him." 

In  the  meanwhile  Hallam,  who  filled  the  glasses,  glanced 
at  Deringham.  "  You  think  I  can  be  of  some  use  to  you  ?  " 
he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham.  "  I  presume  you  know  Alton  is 
going  up  to  find  the  silver  he  needs  to  help  him  traverse 
your  schemes  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Hallam.  "  Still  I  should  have  figured  he 
could  have  got  it  out  of  Carnaby." 

"  I  believe  he  intends  to." 

Hallam  smiled  unpleasantly.  "  Now  I  begin  to  under- 
stand you,"  he  said.  "  You  lost  a  good  many  dollars  over 
the  Peveril." 

"  I  think  that  is  beside  the  question,"  said  Deringham. 

Hallam  regarded  his  companion  steadily.  "  Well,  I  don't 
know,  but  we  needn't  argue.  You  don't  want  him  to  get 
those  dollars  out  of  Carnaby  ?  " 

"  And  you  don't  want  him  to  find  the  silver." 

Hallam  laughed.  "That's  quite  right,"  said  he.  "The 
same  thing  would  suit  both  of  us." 

"  I  scarcely  think  so,"  said  Deringham.  "  In  my  case,  I 
really  do  not  mind  whether  he  gets  the  dollars  from 
Carnaby  or  not." 

"  No?  "  said  Hallam.  "  Then  you'll  have  to  tell  me  what 
you  want." 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  come  over  to  England  too  soon. 
If  anything  kept  him  up  there  among  the  mountains  a 
month  or  so  longer  than  he  expected,  so  that  I  should  have 
time  to  ^straighten  up  things  a  little,  I  would  not  com- 
plain." 

"And,"  said  Hallam,  "you  would  be  ready  to  pay 
for  it?" 

Deringham  bent  his  head.  "  Yes.  To  a  moderate  ex- 
tent." 

Hallam  sat  silent  for  a  time,  and  then  looked  up  with  a 
glint  in  his  beady  eyes.  "  It  could  be  done.  Well,  I  don't 

150 


THE  COMPACT 

^ 

want  him  to  ftnd  that  silver,  and  if  he  doesn't  get  through 
his  prospecting  in  the  next  month  or  so  he'll  not  find  much 
of  anything  under  six  feet  of  snow,  and  I'll  have  fixed 
things  up  as  I  want  them  before  it's  melted.  Now  you're 
holding  pretty  heavy  in  the  Aconada  mine,  and  I've  been 
wanting  to  get  my  foot  in  there  for  a  long  while." 

Deringham  stood  up,  and  thrust  aside  the  Bottle  Hallam 
passed  him.  "  Before  we  go  any  further  I  want  you  to 
understand  that  if  Alton  is  held  up  there  until  December  is 
over  it  is  all  I  ask,"  he  said. 

Hallam  nodded.  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  said.  "  All  I  want  is  so 
many  of  those  shares  transferred  to  me." 

They  debated  for  a  while,  and  then  Deringham  said,  "  I 
would  sooner  fix  it  through  a  third  party." 

Hallam  laughed  unpleasantly.  "  That  would  suit,  but 
I'd  want  your  cheque  to  buy  them  with  made  out  payable 
to  me." 

"  It  would,"  said  Deringham,  "  not  suit  me." 

"  Then  we  can't  make  a  deal.  It's  me  that's  putting 
this  thing  through,  and  if  anything  goes  wrong  I'm  anxious 
to  have  somebody  to  stand  in  with  me  as  well  as  pick  up 
the  dollars  if  it  doesn't.  I'm  talking  quite  straight.  There 
it  is.  Take  it  or  leave  it." 

Deringham  was  silent  again.  Then  he  laughed  a  little. 
"  Since  I  cannot  apparently  do  anything  else,  I'll  take  it." 

Hallam  filled  up  both  glasses.  "Then  that's  all,"  he 
said.  "  Here's  my  respects  to  the  Somasco  Consolidated." 

Deringham  just  touched  his  glass  and  went  out,  while 
Hallam,  who  sat  down  and  emptied  his,  smiled  ironically. 
"  That  man  might  have  kept  his  dollars,  and  I'd  be  quite 
pleased  if  Alton  stayed  up  there  a  good  deal  more  than  two 
months,"  said  he. 

Deringham  was  in  the  meanwhile  hastily  writing  out 
telegraphic  messages  which  were  to  cause  a  little  astonish- 
ment on  the  London  stock  market,  and  hamper  the  working 
of  one  or  two  companies.  He  would,  so  far  as  he  could  see, 
be  a  much  poorer  man  in  a  few  months  or  so,  but  he  fancied 
he  could  gain  time  to  save  the  reputation  that  would  help 
him  to  commence  again,  and  to  men  of  his  attainments 
there  are  always  opportunities.  Then  he  sent  off  a  mounted 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

messenger,  and  rode  slowly  back  towards  Somasco,  while 
Horton  spent  some  time  examining  a  blotting-pad  in  his 
back  store. 

"  I'm  kind  of  sorry  I  can't  make  anything  of  that  stuff/5 
said  he.  "  What's  the  use  of  wiring  any  one  the  names  of 
cities  ?  " 

During  the  next  day  Alton  drew  Deringham  into  his 
room,  and  laid  a  document  on  the  table.  "  I  don't  know  if 
that's  quite  the  usual  thing,  but  Horton  and  I  have  been 
worrying  over  a  lawyer's  book,  and  I  think  it  will  hold," 
he  said. 

Deringham  took  up  the  paper,  and  again  there  was  the 
little  movement  at  the  corners  of  his  eyes  as  he  read. 

"  I,  Henry  Alton,  of  Somasco  ranch,  being  now  in  sound 
health,  and  as  clear  of  head  as  usual,  but  about  to  start  on  a 
journey  to  which  there  are  risks  attached,  hereby  bequeath 
in  the  event  of  disaster  overtaking  me  the  estate  of  Carnaby, 
England,  with  all  its  rents  and  revenues  of  any  kind  what- 
ever to  which  I  am  entitled,  to  Miss  Alice  Deringham, 

daughter  of .  In  case  of  my  decease  during  the  next 

six  months,  the  above-mentioned  Ralph  Deringham  and 
my  partner  Charles  Seaforth,  of  Somasco,  British  Columbia, 
will,  acting  as  trustees,  either  dispose  of  the  estate  for  the 
benefit  of  Miss  Deringham  or  install  her  in  possession  of  it 
at  her  discretion." 

There  was  a  little  more  to  the  purpose,  and  Deringham 
read  all  of  it.  "  This  is  very  generous,"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  it's  only  just,  and  it  can't  be  very 
generous,  because  Carnaby  wouldn't  be  much  use  to  me  if 
I  don't  come  back.  I  could,  of  course,  revoke  this  thing 
if  I  do." 

Deringham  said  nothing.  There  was  a  good  deal  he 
wished  to  say,  but  for  once  words  failed  him,  and  when  he 
went  out  with  the  will  in  his  pocket  his  face  had  grown  a 
trifle  grey.  Yet  though  he  suffered  grievously  in  that 
moment,  he  was  conscious  of  something  in  his  brain  that 
throbbed  in  time  to  the  refrain,  "  Alice  Deringham,  mistress 
of  Carnaby." 


152 


CHAPTER   XV 

i 

ON  THE  TRAIL 

DAYLIGHT  was  just  creeping  through  the  rain,  and  thin 
mist  rolled  about  the  pines,  when  early  one  morning  Alton, 
who  was  setting  out  to  find  the  silver,  stood  upon  the 
verandah  of  Somasco  ranch.  The  trickle  from  the  eaves 
dripped  upon  two  pack-horses  waiting  in  the  mire  below, 
and  Tom  of  Okanagan,  the  big  axeman  who  had  been 
hewing  with  Alton  when  Deringham  first  met  him  at  the 
ranch,  stood  motionless  with  their  bridles  in  his  hand, 
apparently  as  oblivious  of  the  rain  as  the  pines  behind  him. 
Seaforth  was  at  the  head  of  the  stairway  with  a  pack  upon 
his  back,  and  the  barrel  of  a  Marlin  rifle  sloped  across  his 
shoulders.  Beyond  lay  a  blurred  vista  of  driving  rain  and 
dripping  trees. 

Early  as  it  was,  Deringham  and  his  daughter  were  also 
upon  the  verandah,  and  the  girl  shivered  a  little  as  she 
gazed  northwards  into  the  mist.  It  was  a  very  wild  and 
lonely  region  the  rolling  vapours  hid,  and  she  knew  the 
men  who  ventured  into  it  at  that  season  of  the  year  would 
find  their  courage  and  endurance  tested  to  the  uttermost. 
There  were  but  three  of  them,  but  she  had  discovered 
already  that  they  were  a  little  more  than  average  men,  and 
a  glance  at  their  burdens  and  those  of  the  dripping  beasts 
was  as  reassuring  as  their  bearing.  It  was  evident  that 
they  knew  what  their  task  would  be,  and  had  prepared  for 
it  with  a  thoroughness  that  overlooked  nothing.  Tents, 
blankets,  flour-bags,  cooking  utensils  and  hide  packages 
were  hung  where  man  and  horse  could  carry  them  with  a 
minimum  of  effort.  The  place,  for  every  strap  had  been 
exactly  determined,  and  there  was  an  absence  of  concern 
and  a  quietness  about  the  men  that  had  its  meaning. 

Presently  Seaforth  descended  the  stairway  with  Dering- 

153 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

ham,  Tom  of  Okanagan  moved  forward  with  the  horses, 
and  Alton  was  left  alone  with  Alice  Deringham.  Neither 
of  them  spoke  for  a  moment,  and  it  was  noticeable  that  the 
girl,  who  knew  that  silence  is  often  more  expressive  than 
speech  and  had  acquired  some  skill  in  avoiding  unpleasant 
situations,  was  for  the  moment  unable  to  break  it.  It  was 
Alton  who  spoke  first,  and  his  voice  was  a  trifle  too  even. 

"  You  will  be  gone  when  we  come  back  ?  "  he  said. 

The  girl  noticed  he  did  not  look  at  her,  and  fancied  she 
understood  the  reason.  This  was  a  strong  man,  but  it 
seemed  he  knew  there  were  limits  to  his  strength. 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  The  time  we  spent  at  Somasco  has 
passed  very  pleasantly,  but  we  shall  go  down  to  Vancouver 
in  a  day  or  two." 

It  seemed  very  trivial,  for  Alice  Deringham  was  quite 
aware  that  this  might  be  the  last  time  she  would  look  upon 
her  companion,  but  she  had  bidden  farewell  to  men  of  his 
kind  before.  They  had  worn  their  nation's  khaki,  and 
Alton  wore  deerskin  and  jean,  With  the  shovel  girded 
about  him  in  place  of  the  sword ;  but  she  knew  there  was  in 
him  the  same  spirit  that  animated  them,  and  that  it  was  a 
silent  spirit  made  most  terribly  manifest  in  action. 

"  I  hope  you  will  have  a  good  time  down  there,"  he 
said. 

The  girl  glancing  at  him  in  sidelong  fashion  noticed  his 
curious  little  smile.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  think  I  shall,"  she  said. 
"  I  shall  expect  to  hear  you  have  come  back  with  the  silver." 

Alton  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  When  I  come  back 
I  shall  have  found  the  silver." 

He  spoke  quietly,  and  there  was  nothing  unusual  in  his 
voice,  but  glancing  at  his  eyes  the  girl  understood  what  he 
had  left  unspoken.  If  this  man  did  not  return  with  his 
object  accomplished,  she  felt  it  would  be  because  he  would 
not  come  back  at  all. 

Then  there  was  another  silence  more  oppressive  still, 
until  Alton  held  out  his  hand.  "  I  must  be  going,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  was  conscious  of  a  little  thrill  as  her 
ringers  rested  in  his  big,  hard  palm,  and  when  he  released 
them  waited  for  a  moment  with  a  curious  expectancy. 

"  You  will  take  my  good  wishes  with  you,"  she  said. 

154 


ON   THE   TRAIL 

Alton  bent  his  head.  "  I  am  doing  this  thing  because  I 
feel  I  have  to,"  he  said  very  slowly.  "  I  could  come  and  see 
you  at  Vancouver  when  I  come  back  ?  " 

The  light  was  dim,  but  the  girl  moved  her  head  a  little 
so  that  the  man  did  not  see  her  face.  "  Yes,"  she  said ; 
"  if  it  would  please  you." 

Alton  smiled  gravely  as  he  swung  down  his  wet  hat. 
"  Then,"  he  said,  "  I  will  come." 

He  went  down  the  stairway  next  moment,  there  was  a 
soft  thud  of  hoofs  splashing  in  the  mud,  and  in  another 
minute  he  had  gone,  and  Alice  Deringham  glancing  towards 
the  bush  saw  only  sliding  mist  and  driving  rain,  until  her 
father  stopped  close  by  her.  "  There  is  evidently  a  good 
deal  in  heredity,"  he  said.  "  Our  rancher  kinsman  occasion- 
ally makes  it  very  evident  that  he  is  Alton — of  Somasco — 
but  there  are  also  times  when  he  appears  to  understand 
what  would  be  becoming  in  Alton  of  Carnaby." 

Now  Deringham  may  have  been  right,  and  he  may 
equally  have  been  wrong ;  for,  while  Alton  of  Somasco  had 
doubtless  inherited  something  from  the  generations  of  land- 
holders who  had  gone  before  him,  the  man  animated  by  a 
single  purpose  who  has  grappled  with  untrammelled  nature, 
subduing  the  weaknesses  of  his  body,  and  bearing  hardship, 
peril,  and  toil,  not  infrequently  attains  to  something  of  the 
greatness  which  is  the  birthright  of  humanity,  and  not 
confined  to  the  English  gentleman. 

Alice  Deringham,  however,  smiled  ironically  at  her  father. 
"  Did  you  expect  anything  else  from  him  ?  "  she  said.  "  I 
wonder  how  long  it  will  be  before  he  comes  back  again." 

Deringham  did  not  answer  her,  but  there  was  a  curious 
look  in  his  face,  and  he  seemed  to  shiver.  It  was,  however, 
very  cold,  and  the  rain  drove  into  the  verandah. 

It  was  ten  days  later  and  the  little  party,  clearing  a  path 
for  the  horses  through  a  chaos  of  fallen  trunks  and  thickets, 
had  made  with  difficulty  some  six  or  eight  miles  a  day, 
when  Alton  was  awakened  one  night  by  thfc  trampling  of 
the  beasts.  He  sat  up  in  his  blankets  and  listened  intently, 
but  could  only  hear  the  hoarse  roar  of  a  river  and  the  little 
cold  breeze  moaning  in  the  pines.  A  man  new  to  that 
region  would  have  lain  down  again,  but  Alton  had  taught 

'55 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

himself  to  understand  a  little  of  the  nature  of  the  leasts 
that  worked  for  him,  and  when  he  heard  another  movement 
crept  to  the  tent  door. 

Looking  out  he  could  see  the  pines  lifting  their  spires  of 
blackness  against  the  night  where  they  followed  the  ridge  of 
a  hill.  That  was  on  the  one  hand,  but  on  the  other  they 
rolled,  vague  and  blurred,  down  into  a  vast  hollow  from 
which  the  mist  was  drifting.  The  sound  of  the  river  rose 
reverberating  from  its  profundity  of  shadow,  for  it  had  cost 
the  party  most  of  a  day  to  climb  to  the  height  they  had 
pitched  the  camp  upon.  There  was  but  little  light  over- 
head, though  here  and  there  a  star  blinked  fitfully,  and 
Alton  shivered  again,  for  it  was  very  cold  and  but  little  past 
the  hour  when  man's  vitality  sinks  to  its  lowest. 

Raising  himself  a  trifle  he  listened  again  with  ears  that 
could  distinguish  each  component  of  the  nocturnal  har- 
monies. No  one  but  a  bushman  could  have  heard  them, 
but  to  those  who  toil  in  the  stillness  of  that  forest-shrouded 
land  the  silence  is  but  the  perfect  blending  of  musical 
sound.  There  was  the  faintest  of  crisp  rattles  as  the 
withered  needles  shook  down  from  a  twig,  and  then  a  sigh 
and  a  whisper  along  the  dim  black  vault  above,  as  though 
a  spirit  hovered  above  the  sleeping  earth.  Alton  heard,  and 
knew  it  was  not  the  wind,  for  the  little  breeze  had  paused 
while  the  river  made  it  answer  in  subdued  antiphones.  He 
had  dwelt  in  close  contact  with  the  soil  he  sprang  from,  and 
there  were  times  when  he  felt  his  nature  thrill  in  faint 
response  to  the  life  there  is  in  what  the  men  of  the  cities 
deem  inanimate  things. 

Then  a  leaf  sailed  past  the  tent,  and  he  knew  what  tree  it 
came  from  as  it  touched  the  earth,  and  strained  his  ears  the 
more,  wondering  what  he  listened  for,  as  he,  and  others  of 
his  kind,  had  done  in  the  bush  before.  It  could  be,  he 
almost  felt,  nothing  material,  and  yet,  though  they  did  not 
move  now,  he  knew  the  horses  were  also  listening.  That 
had  its  meaning,  for  man  cannot  measure  his  keenest  senses 
with  those  of  the  beasts  of  the  field.  The  little  breeze 
awoke  again,  and  shook  fantastic  harmonies  out  of  the 
shivering  trees,  and  one  horse  stamped.  The  other  wheeled 
and  snorted,  and  Alton  sprang  back  into  the  tent,  as  some- 

156 


ON   THE   TRAIL 

where  in  the  bushes  there  commenced  a  sound  that  sug- 
gested the  snarling  of  a  great  cat.  It  was  possibly  un- 
fortunate he  was  not  a  trifle  less  prompt,  because  otherwise 
he  might  have  noticed  something  slightly  unusual  in  the 
sound. 

As  it  was,  however,  he  fell  over  Okanagan  Tom,  who 
being  a  very  similar  man  to  him,  and  not  as  yet  wholly 
awake,  asked  no  questions  but  gripped  him  silently,  and 
proceeded  to  crush  the  breath  out  of  him.  Alton  was 
sinewy,  but  he  was  almost  choking  before  he  freed  one  hand, 
and  drove  it  into  a  tender  portion  of  his  assailant's  frame. 
Then  with  a  little  laugh  Tom  of  Okanagan  flung  him  across 
the  tent. 

"  Great  Columbus !  It's  good  I  found  out  in  time,"  he 
said. 

Alton  was  almost  speechless  still,  and,  while  he  gasped, 
the  object  he  had  fallen  on  moved  strenuously  beneath  him. 

"  You  might  get  up,"  it  said.  "  It's  a  somewhat  un- 
protected place  you're  sitting  on." 

"  Confound  you  both,"  said  Alton.  "  Hand  me  the 
rifle." 

.Seaforth  afterwards  remembered  that  he  did  not  ask 
where  the  rifle  was,  which  would  have  been  the  question 
put  by  most  men,  and  as  he  held  it  out  felt  the  stock  touch 
Alton's  hand.  Then  there  was  a  little  rattle,  and  as  Sea- 
forth floundered  to  his  feet  a  weird  snarling  cry  broke  out. 
Alton  was  out  of  the  tent  in  a  moment,  but  Seaforth  after- 
wards recalled  the  fact  that  they  were  all  moving  when  he 
heard  the  sound,  and  Tom  of  Okanagan  apparently  groping 
for  his  axe  and  throwing  things  about.  He  also  decided 
that  it  might  have  been  better  if  one  had  sat  still  and 
listened,  but  it  is  not  given  to  human  beings  to  always  do 
the  most  appropriate  thing. 

Alton  instinctively  avoided  the  tent-line  nearest  the  open- 
ing, which  was  unfortunate,  because  the  peg  had  drawn 
a  trifle,  and  Seaforth  had  moved  it  after  his  comrade  had 
driven  it.  It  therefore  came  about  that  the  line  was  not 
where  he  had  last  seen  it,  and  he  went  down  headlong, 
while  the  rifle  rolled  away  from  him.  Just  there,  there  was 
a  rush  and  a  drumming  of  hoofs,  and  before  Alton  could 

157 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

pick  himself  up  the  horses  were  sweeping  in  a  panic  through 
the  shadowy  bush. 

"  Anything  the  worse,  Harry  ?  "  said  Seaforth.  "  We 
had  better  get  off  at  once  while  there's  the  sound  to 
guide  us." 

Alton  laughed  softly,  as  he  did  now  and  then  when  he 
might  have  been  disconcerted.  "  I  can't  beat  a  Cayuse, 
Charley,  and  I  don't  think  you'll  hear  them  very  long,"  he 
said. 

Tom  of  Okanagan  grunted  approval,  and  the  three  stood 
still,  until  the  drumming  of  hoofs  was  lost  in  the  silence  of 
the  bush. 

"  They're  gone,"  said  Seaforth.  "  Do  you  mean  to  do 
nothing  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  I  am  going  to  stop  right  where  I 
am  until  there's  light  enough  to  trail  them  by.  Do  you 
know  anything  better,  Tom  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  man  from  Okanagan.  "  Still,  I'm  not 
quite  as  good  at  thinking  just  now  as  I  would  like  to  be. 
The  last  time  I  felt  like  this  was  when  Siwash  Bob  took 
the  back  of  the  axe  to  me.  I  figure  that  was  a  panther." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton ;  "  it  was  a  panther." 

"  Well,"  said  Okanagan,  "  did  you  ever  hear  of  one  that 
went  for  a  horse  close  up  with  a  tent  before  ?  " 

"  I  have,"  said  Alton,  "  seen  a  panther  that  turned  on 
a  man  who  wanted  to  get  a  shot  at  it  in  the  undergrowth." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Okanagan.  "  He'd  got  something  he'd 
caught  for  dinner  in  the  bushes,  but  it's  kind  of  curious  that 
beasts  come  round  and  howl  at  us.  Anyway,  we  can't  find 
out  nothing  until  the  daylight  comes." 

They  crawled  back  into  the  tent,  and  it  was  character- 
istic of  them  that  although  the  loss  of  the  horses  might 
traverse  all  their  plans  they  went  to  sleep  again,  and 
awakened  as  the  beasts  do,  instinctively,  when  the  first 
light  crept  over  the  shoulder  of  the  hill.  Ten  minutes 
later  Alton  had  the  fire  lighted,  and  sat  down  beside  it  with 
the  frypan  in  his  hand.  The  recovery  of  the  horses  was 
a  question  of  importance,  but  it  might  well  entail  a  day's 
journey,  and  he  knew  that  to  commence  it  without  his 
breakfast  would  be  distinctly  unwise  of  him.  Accordingly 

158 


ON   THE   TRAIL 

he  tranquilly  held  the  pan,  while  as  the  mists  melted  and 
the  awakening1  earth  put  on  shape  and  form  there  was  un- 
rolled before  him  a  wondrous  transformation  scene. 

When  he  had  last  awakened  the  wilderness  had  lain 
formless,  wrapped  in  blackness,  primitive  and  pagan.  Now 
the  great  pines  rising  row  and  row  from  the  hpllow  pointed 
heavenwards  with  all  their  sombre  spires,  and  led  the  eye 
upwards  ever  over  the  rock  that  lost  its  greyness  and  glinted 
to  the  gleam  of  snow  far  up  in  the  empyrean  that  was 
sundered  from  earth  by  the  vapours  and  wholly  spiritual. 
Alton  realized  dimly  a  little  of  the  motive  of  the  scene,  and 
felt  that  the  world  was  good,  for,  laying  down  the  frypan, 
he  stood  up  stretching  his  arms  above  his  head  as  he 
rejoiced  in  the  strength  of  his  vigorous  manhood.  Still, 
like  most  of  the  bushmen  he  did  not  express  his  feelings  in 
speech. 

"  Charley,  you'll  be  slow  for  your  wedding.  Turn  out, 
the  pork's  done,"  he  said. 

They  lost  no  time,  but  they  did  not  eat  in  haste,  and 
Alton  glanced  at  Seaforth  when  the  meal  was  done. 
"  You'll  stop  right  here,  Charley,  by  the  tent,"  he  said.  "  I 
can't  quite  tell  when  Tom  and  I  will  be  back  again." 

Then  without  another  word  he  strode  into  the  bush,  and 
Seaforth,  who  first  washed  the  breakfast-cans,  proceeded  to 
make  a  circuit  of  the  camp.  He  found  the  spot  where  the 
horses  had  been  tethered  with  but  little  difficulty,  and  also 
the  hole  out  of  which  one  of  them  had  drawn  the  picket- 
peg.  The  redwoods  which  towered  above  him  were  vast  of 
girth,  and  it  would  have  needed  a  long  halter  to  encompass 
them,  while  there  was  no  branch  for  sixty  feet  or  so. 
Still,  though  he  searched  diligently,  he  did  not  find  any 
print  which  might  have  been  left  by  the  paw  of  a  panther, 
and  regretted  that  there  was  a  ridge  of  rock  outcrop 
behind  the  camp. 

"  That  beast  was  hungry,  or  he  wouldn't  have  come  so 
near,"  he  said. 

It  was  near  dusk  when  Alton  came  back  leading  one 
weary  horse,  and  darkness  had  closed  down  before  Tom  of 
Okanagan  strode  in  with  nothing  but  the  pack-rope  he 
had  set  out  with.  Seaforth  had  supper  ready,  and  no  ques- 

'59 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

tions  were  asked  until  they  had  eaten.  Then  Alton,  stretch- 
ing himself  at  full  length  beside  the  fire,  lighted  his  pipe. 

"  You  found  nothing  after  I  left  you  where  the  trail  split 
up  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Okanagan.  "  Anyway,  not  for  more  than  a 
mile.  Ran  into  rock  and  gravel,  and  lost  the  trail.  Crawled 
round  in  rings  most  of  the  day,  and  couldn't  strike  it  again. 
Guess  the  beast  swam  the  river  and  lit  out  for  home." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  dryly,  "  I  found  more  than  that,  for  I 
ran  into  a  man's  trail,  and  it  wasn't  very  old.  I  think  he 
had  long  boots  on  and  one  was  down  at  the  heel.  I  spent 
an  hour  over  it,  and  when  it  led  me  into  rock  came  back 
again." 

"  A  man  ?  "  said  Seaforth.  "  I  fancied  there  was  nobody 
but  ourselves  between  here  and  Somasco.  What  could  he 
be  doing?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Alton.  "  Did  you  find  the  panther's 
trail?" 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth.    "  Rock  again !  " 

Alton  said  nothing  for  a  minute,  and  when  he  spoke  his 
voice  had  a  curious  tone.  "  Well,"  he  said  gravely,  "  the 
rock  belongs  to  this  place  and  we  don't,  so  there's  no  use 
kicking,  but  it  would  have  been  convenient  if  there  had 
been  less  of  it.  Now  it's  quite  possible  that  a  few  pounds 
of  grub  and  a  load  of  blankets  may  make  a  big  difference 
before  we  get  home  again,  and  if  we  can't  trail  that  horse 
to-morrow  you'll  go  back  to  -Somasco  for  another  one. 
We'll  cache  the  load  somewhere  here  and  make  a  big  smoke 
for  you  at  every  camping." 

"  That  means  the  loss  of  a  fortnight  anyway,"  said  Sea- 
forth. "  Time  is  valuable  with  the  winter  coming  on." 

Alton  nodded.     "  Still,  it  can't  be  helped,"  he  said. 

"  I'll  lose  no  time,"  said  Seaforth,  who  had  been  watch- 
ing his  comrade.  "  Are  you  quite  sure  you  have  told  us 
all,  Harry?" 

Alton  slowly  drew  a  strip  of  hide  from  beneath  him,  and 
passed  it  across.  Seaforth  and  Okanagan  bent  over  it 
together,  their  faces  showing  intent  in  the  light  of  the  fire, 
while  Alton  laughed  softly  as  he  watched  them. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  that  ?  "  he  said. 

160 


ON   THE   TRAIL 

Seaforth  glanced  round  sharply.  "  It's  a  trifle  curious. 
That  hide's  thick,  and  yet  the  beast  has  evidently  broken 
it,  but  it  pulled  up  the  peg." 

"  Did  you  find  the  peg  ? "  said  Alton,  and  Okanagan 
swept  his  glance  across  the  faces  before  him.  Seaforth's 
expressed  bewilderment,  Alton's  was  grim.  ^ 

"  I  found  one,"  said  Seaforth — "  Julius  Caesar's." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  dryly.  "  There  should  have  been 
another,  and  a  horse  that  breaks  his  tether  can't  pull  out 
the  peg.  Still,  I  don't  think  he  broke  it." 

"  But,"  said  Seaforth,  "  the  thing  is  broken." 

Tom  of  Okanagan  smiled  in  a  curious  fashion  while 
Alton  reached  out  and  laid  his  finger  on  the  hide.  "  One 
can't  be  sure  of  anything,"  he  said.  "  Still,  one  could  fancy 
that  had  felt  the  knife  before  it  snapped." 

There  was  silence  for  almost  a  minute,  and  the  shadows 
of  the  great  firs  seemed  to  close  in  upon  the  camp.  Then 
Alton  rose  up  and  stretched  his  limbs  wearily. 

"  I  am  kind  of  tired,"  he  said.  "  There's  a  good  deal  to 
be  done  to-morrow." 


161 


CHAPTER   XVI 

CAUSE  FOR  ANXIETY 

THERE  was  no  sign  of  the  missing  horse  next  day,  and 
Alton's  face  was  grave  when  he  returned  to  camp  at 
noon.  Tom  of  Okanagan  arrived  an  hour  or  two  later, 
and  shook  his  head  when  Seaforth  glanced  at  him  in- 
quiringly. 

"  Rock  again.    Right  down  to  the  river,"  he  said. 

Alton  nodded,  but  did  not  ask  if  his  companion  had 
effected  a  crossing.  "  There  was  a  good  deal  of  water 
coming  down  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Okanagan.  "  It  was  cold.  Boulders  all 
along  on  the  other  side.  Now  if  the  beast  got  over  he'll  be 
lighting  out  for  home,  and  there  are  some  of  us  better  than 
others  at  picking  up  a  trail." 

Seaforth  understood  him,  and  the  implication  pleased  him 
though  it  was  not  openly  expressed.  "  Had  you  any 
especial  reason  when  you  asked  me  to  go,  Harry  ? "  he 
asked. 

Alton  smiled  dryly.  "  I  had,  but  I  don't  know  that  it  was 
a  very  good  one.  You  would  sooner  stay  up  here.  What 
do  you  think,  Tom  ?  " 

"  Of  course !  "  said  Seaforth,  and  Alton  nodded  silently, 
while  Okanagan  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  Now  you  have  asked  me,  Charley's  right,"  he  said.  "  I'll 
be  moving  south  in  ten  minutes." 

He  had  set  off  in  somewhat  less,  and  the  men  he  left 
behind  stood  still  listening  until  the  sound  of  his  footsteps 
had  sunk  into  fhe  stillness.  Then  Seaforth  glanced  at  his 
comrade,  and  Alton  laughed. 

"  It's  lonely,  Charley,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  know  that  you 
were  wise,  but  we'll  get  a  move  on  and  cache  some  of  these 
provisions." 

162 


CAUSE   FOR   ANXIETY 

Seaforth  was  glad  of  something  to  do.  Three  had  started 
from  Somasco,  and  already  one  had  gone,  while  he  felt 
a  slight  sense  of  depression  as  he  glanced  north  towards  the 
wilderness  of  rock  and  snow  their  path  led  into.  He  did 
not,  however,  tell  his  comrade  so,  and  they  toiled  for  an 
hour  before  Alton,  carefully  smoothing  off  Hhe  soil  that 
covered  what  they  had  hidden,  strewed  it  with  cedar- 
twigs. 

"  Step  it  off,  Charley ;  twenty  paces  east  to  the  rock, 
with  the  big  peak  over  the  shoulder  of  the  hill,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  walked  straight  forward  with  measured  strides. 
"  A  foot  over !  "  he  said. 

Alton  nodded.  "  Go  back  and  make  your  traverse,"  he 
said.  "  Forty  north  with  the  gully  over  the  fork  of  the 
river.1" 

"  Forty,"  said  Seaforth,  "  and  a  half." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  whatever  you  don't  remember,  hold 
tight  on  to  that." 

Seaforth  felt  the  depression  he  had  shaken  off  return  to 
him.  "  There  are,"  he  said  slowly,  "  few  things  that  vou 
forget." 

Alton,  glancing  at  him,  understood,  and  then  turned  his 
eyes  towards  the  snow  of  the  wilderness.  "  It's  the  man 
that  can't  look  forward  who  gets  left,"  he  said.  "  Now 
something  might  stop  me  coming  back  with  you  for  that 
grub." 

Seaforth  said  nothing,  and  he  was  a  little  graver  than 
usual  as  they  packed  the  tent  and  blankets  on  the  remaining 
horse,  and  an  extra  load  upon  their  own  backs.  A  good 
many  things  might  happen  up  there  in  the  north,  including 
snow-slides,  floods  and  frost,  or  the  downward  rush  of  great 
trees  in  a  brulee.  That  was  possibly  why  he  commenced  a 
little  jingling  song  of  the  music-halls  when  they  took  the 
trail  again,  but  the  white  grandeur  of  the  great  peaks 
silenced  him,  or  his  breath  gave  out  as  they  floundered  into 
fern-choked  forest  which  was  further  garnished  with  the 
horrible  devil's  club.  •  Seaforth  fell  into  a  clump  of  it,  and 
for  several  minutes  his  comments  were  venomous,  for 
though  he  had  been  taught  restraint  in  England  and  had 
further  tuition  in  Canada  of  a  grimmer  description,  little 

163 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

can  be  expected  from  the  man  who  is  gripped  by  that 
Satanic  thorn. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  he  went  on  again  with  his 
garments  ensanguined  as  the  result  of  Alton's  treatment 
with  the  knife,  and  he  gasped  with  relief  when  after  a  march 
of  four  miles,  which  occupied  most  of  what  was  left  of  the 
day,  they  came  out  into  the  more  open  spaces  of  a  big 
brulee.  Some  time  in  the  hot  autumn  a  fire  had  passed 
that  way,  and  the  great  trees  towered  above  them,  stripped 
and  blackened  columns,  that  seemed  to  stretch  between  earth 
and  sky.  There  was  no  limb  left  them,  and  they  rose, 
majestic  in  their  cylindrical  symmetry,  in  apparently  endless 
battalions,  a  vista  of  plutonic  desolation.  Underfoot  there 
was  charcoal,  and  feathery  ashes  that  whirled  aloft,  and 
sprinkling  the  men  with  a  fine  grey  powder  slowly  settled 
again. 

Alton  was  white  in  ten  minutes,  a  gritty  mire  defiled  the 
horse's  sides,  and  Seaforth  floundered,  coughing,  ankle-deep 
at  times,  with  livid  circles  where  he  had  rubbed  the  grime 
away  about  his  eyes.  There  was  no  sign  of  beast  or  bird, 
and  the  shuffle  of  weary  feet  and  thud  of  hoofs  rose  muffled 
out  of  a  great  silence,  until  there  was  a  stupendous  crash 
somewhere  in  the  distance.  The  charred  trunks  took  up 
the  sound,  and  while  they  flung  it  from  one  to  another 
Alton  sprang  forward  and  smote  the  pack-horse  with  his 
fist. 

"  Jump !  "  he  said  hoarsely. 

Next  moment  Seaforth  felt  himself  hurled  forward,  and 
glancing  over  his  shoulder  when  he  found  his  footing  again 
saw  a  big  trunk  tilt  a  little.  It  seemed  to  hang  quivering 
for  a  second  or  two,  then  toppled  further,  and  with  a  great 
humming  came  rushing  down.  Then  there  was  a  stunning 
crash,  and  he  stood  gasping,  deafened,  and  bereft  of  sight, 
amidst  a  stifling  cloud  of  dust  which  swept  into  his  mouth 
and  nostrils  and  almost  suffocated  him.  When  he  could 
see  anything  again  the  horse  was  quivering,  and  the  dust 
still  rising  from  a  shapeless  pile  a  few  yards  behind  him. 
Alton,  who  was  black  and  grey  to  the  ankles,  took  his  hat 
off,  shook  it,  and  put  it  on  again  in  a  curious  unconcerned 
fashion  which  suggested  that  he  did  it  unconsciously. 

164 


CAUSE    FOR   ANXIETY 

"  Those  six  feet  make  a  big  difference,"  said  he. 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  crash  a  little  farther  behind 
them,  another  ahead,  and  they  stood  still;  Alton  gripping 
the  horse's  bridle,  Seaforth  staring  about  him  and  scarcely 
breathing,  while  concussion  answered  concussion,  until 
there  was  a  silence  that  was  almost  bewildering  again. 

"  Now,"  said  Alton  quietly,  "  we'll  get  out  of  this,  though 
I  don't  know  that  we  need  worry,  because  that  should  have 
cleared  out  the  shaky  ones.  When  one  goes,  more  of  them 
generally  follow.  It  wouldn't  have  grieved  Hallam  of  the 
Tyee  very  much  if  we  had  been  a  yard  or  two  farther 
back." 

Seaforth  was  possibly  a  little  shaken,  for  he  answered  as 
he  might  not  otherwise  have  done.  "  I  wonder  if  it  would 
have  displeased  anybody  else,"  he  said. 

Alton  jerked  the  horse  to  a  standstill  and  looked  at  him. 
"  I  don't  think  you  meant  that,  Charley." 

Seaforth  noticed  the  glint  in  his  comrade's  eyes,  and 
departed  a  little  from  veracity.  "  No,"  he  said.  "  There 
are  times  when  a  man  is  apt  to  talk  a  little  at  random." 

Alton  nodded.  "  You'll  not  forget  again.  The  man  is  a 
kinsman  of  mine." 

Seaforth  smote  the  pack-horse,  because  he  did  not  quite 
know  what  to  answer.  He  had  vague  suspicions  concern- 
ing Deringham,  but  was  quite  aware  that  it  would  be  in- 
appropriate for  him  to  express  them.  Also,  having  seen 
a  little  of  the  smoother  side  of  life  in  England,  he  knew 
a  trifle  more  about  young  women  of  Miss  Deringham's 
description  than  his  comrade  did.  He  admired  the  girl, 
as  most  men  would  have  done,  but  the  qualities  Alton  had 
evidently  endowed  her  with  were  not  especially  apparent 
to  him.  He  also  fancied  that  Miss  Deringham  would 
have  found  some  of  them  distinctly  irksome  now  and 
then. 

It  was  dark  when  they  came  out  of  the  brulee  and 
pitched  camp  amidst  the  boulders  beside  a  lonely  lake.  The 
mists  crawled  about  the  pines  that  shut  it  in,  and  its  surface 
was  seamed  with  white  by  a  little  bitter  wind.  Sombre 
clouds  rolled  lower  down  the  surrounding  hills,  and  Sea- 
forth was  glad  to  stretch  his  weary  limbs  under  the  lee  of 

165 


a  big  boulder  while  the  fire  snapped  and  crackled  in  front 
of  him. 

"  I  wonder  when  we  shall  see  this  lake  again,"  he  said. 

Alton,  who  was  busy  with  the  frypan,  turned  and  stirred 
the  fire,  and  the  sparks  and  smoke  whirled  about  them 
before  a  stinging  blast.  "  I  don't  know,"  he  said,  glancing 
at  a  smear  of  whiteness  that  swept  athwart  the  lake.  "  It 
depends  upon  the  weather,  and  I'm  not  pleased  with  that 
to-night.  You  see  the  Chinook  winds  would  keep  off  the 
snow." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Seaforth,  who  knew  that  the  warm 
breezes  from  the  Pacific  occasionally  drive  back  the 
rigorous  winter  that  turns  the  northern  portion  of  the 
mountain  province  into  a  white  desolation.  "  They  usually 
do,  but  we'll  surmise  that  in  place  of  them  we  get  the  back-- 
draughts from  the  Pole  ?  " 

"  Then,"  said  Alton  dryly,  "  it  would  be  a  good  deal  nicer 
down  at  Somasco.  Are  you  sorry  you  didn't  stop  there, 
Charley?" 

Seaforth  threw  an  armful  of  fir  wood  upon  the  fire  with 
somewhat  unnecessary  violence.  "  You  are  not  so  pleasant 
as  you  might  be  to-night,"  he  said. 

Alton  rose  and  stretched  himself.  "  I  wouldn't  worry 
about  me.  It  seems  to  me  we  are  both  of  us  feeling  lonely, 
and  that's  curious,  because  when  we  had  him  Okanagan 
wasn't  any  special  kind  of  a  companionable  man.  There 
was  a  time  when  you  would  have  been  driving  to  dinner 
with  a  diamond  pin  stuck  in  you  and  silk  stockings  on 
about  this  time,  Charley?" 

Seaforth  laughed.  "  I  scarcely  think  either  of  the  things 
are  in  common  masculine  use,"  he  said.  "  There,  however, 
was  a  time  when  I  walked  into  a  British  Columbian  mining1 
camp  with  my  whole  wardrobe  on  my  back  and,  I  think, 
fifty  cents  in  my  pocket.  Still,  what  you  asked  me  sug- 
gests a  not  quite  unwarranted  question.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  Carnaby,  Harry  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  yet.     I'm  not  sure  it's  mine,  you  see." 

"  Your  grandfather  left  it  you,"  said  Seaforth ;  "  and  it 
was  his." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  gravely.     "  He  did,  but  he  tacked  a 

166 


CAUSE   FOR   ANXIETY 

kind  of  condition  on  to  it,  and — well,  that's  about  all  I  can 
tell  you,  Charley." 

"  Of  course !  "  and  Seaforth  smiled  curiously.  "  I  would 
not  have  asked  you,  only  I  am  your  partner,  and  when 
you're  Alton  of  Carnaby  you  will  have  no  more  use  for 
me." 

Alton  seemed  to  sigh.  "  I  am,"  he  said  simply,  "  Alton 
of  Somasco,  and  I  fancy  now  and  then  that  was  all  I  was 
meant  to  be.  You  are  my  partner,  Charley,  and  it  would 
take  a  good  deal  more  than  Carnaby  to  separate  you 
and  me." 

Seaforth  smiled  again,  though  there  was  more  than 
amusement  in  his  face,  while  Alton,  who  stopped  beside 
the  fire  and  filled  two  cans  from  the  kettle,  shook  his 
head  reproachfully  as  he  flung  their  contents  into  the  bush. 

"  That's  what  comes  of  talking  too  much.  You  have  for- 
gotten to  put  in  the  tea,"  he  said. 

They  lay  down  early,  rolled  in  the  blankets,  with  the  tent 
across  them,  for  the  wind  that  lashed  the  lake  rendered 
it  advisable  not  to  erect  it,  but  it  was  some  time  before 
Seaforth  went  to  sleep.  He  fancied  he  understood  Alton's 
assertion  that  he  was  not  sure  Carnaby  was  his,  for  he 
knew  his  comrade  was  capable  under  certain  conditions  of 
almost  reasonless  generosity.  Nor  did  he  desire  a  better 
partner,  but  he  was  not  sure  that  in  the  event  of  Alton 
transferring  his  activities  to  England  their  friendship  would 
be  approved  of  by  a  possible  mistress  of  Carn'aby.  Women, 
Seaforth  knew,  regarded  these  things  differently. 

He  slept  at  last,  and  awakening  felt  the  tent  heavy  upon 
him.  There  was  also  a  curious  rawness  in  the  atmosphere, 
and  he  glanced  about  him  with  a  little  gasp  of  consterna- 
tion. The  hillside  gleamed  coldly  above  him  under  the 
creeping  light,  and  only  the  pines  were  sombre,  for  the 
earth  was  white  with  -snow. 

"  Get  up,  Harry,"  he  said,  with  something  in  his  voice 
that  roused  his  comrade  suddenly. 

Alton  rose,  and  his  face  became  a  trifle  grim.  "  This," 
he  said  quietly,  "  is  going  to  mix  up  things.  We'll  have 
breakfast  quick  as  you  can  get  it." 

They  were  on  their  way  in  half  an  hour,  struggling  up 

167 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

the  hillside  under  the  pines  until  at  last  the  trees  grew 
smaller  towards  the  timber  line.  Then  they  floundered 
painfully  over  what  had  been  bare  slopes  of  rock  and  was 
now  a  waste  of  snow,  with  a  dazzling  field  of  whiteness 
between  them  and  the  blue.  Up  there  the  frost  was  biting, 
and  the  snow  lay  fine  as  flour,  blowing  in  thin  wisps  from 
under  the  horse's  hoofs,  while  the  men's  jean  and  deerhide 
were  sprinkled  with  glittering  particles.  The  wind  dropped 
towards  sundown,  and  when,  climbing  a  great  hill  shoulder, 
they  dipped  again  to  the  forest  the  snows  flamed  crimson 
against  a  pitiless  blueness,  out  of  which  there  seemed  to 
fall  a  devastating  cold. 

Diamonds  glinted  upon  the  shivering  pines,  sound  seemed 
frozen,  and  there  was  a  great  impressive  stillness  across 
which  the  jingle  of  the  bridle  rang  stridently  when  Alton 
pulled  the  horse  up  near  the  foremost  of  the  trees. 

"  This,"  he  said  softly,  "  is  where  I  found  Jimmy.  He 
was  sitting  there  with  his  rifle  on  his  knee,  looking  straight 
at  me,  as  though  there  were  lots  of  things  he  could  tell 
me." 

Seaforth  shivered  a  little.  "  He  had  the  specimens  with 
him?" 

Alton  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  He  had  his  grip  right 
on  the  deerhide  bag,  as  though  he  didn't  want  to  let  me 
have  them,  and  I  had  to  think  of  Mrs.  Jimmy  while  I  took 
them  from  him.  It  didn't  seem  quite  fair  of  Jimmy,  because 
they  haven't  much  use  for  silver  in  the  country  the  long 
trail  leads  to." 

Seaforth  glanced  down  into  the  great  hollow  that  fell 
away  beneath  them,  and  up  at  the  glittering  snow.  "  You 
were  alone,  I  think  ?  " 

"  I  was,"  said  Alton  grimly.  "  And  most  half-frozen. 
It  was  that  cold  there  was  ice  in  the  big  rapid,  and  I  hadn't 
had  much  to  eat  for  several  days." 

Seaforth  shivered  again,  as  he  pictured  that  strange  en- 
counter between  the  dead  and  the  living.  Jimmy  the  pros- 
pector, having  taken  his  secret  with  him  to  a  region  where 
silver  is  valueless,  had  sat  within  a  few  paces  from  where 
he  stood  with  his  fingers  clenched  upon  the  bag,  and  an 
awful  disregard  of  the  rights  of  the  woman  he  had  left 

168 


CAUSE    FOR   ANXIETY 

behind  in  his  frozen  face.  Seaforth  could  also  picture  his 
comrade  stooping  over  him  with  averted  eyes,  but  swift, 
resolute  movements,  for  when  there  was  work  to  be  done 
Alton  of  Somasco  was  not  the  man  to  turn  aside. 

"  It  must  have  been  a  trifle  horrible,"  he  said. 

Alton's  eyes  closed  a  little.  "  It  wasn't  nice. '  Still,  there 
was  Mrs.  Jimmy  working  down  at  the  store,  and  that  secret 
belonged  to  her." 

He  stopped  abruptly  with  a  little  gesture  as  of  one  shaking 
off  a  painful  memory,  and  looked  down  across  the  climb- 
ing pines  to  the  lake  in  the  hollow  behind  them.  It  still 
shone  steelily,  and  apparently  not  very  far  away,  though  it 
had  cost  the  men  strenuous  toil  all  day  to  traverse  the  dis- 
tance that  divided  them  from  it.  Seaforth,  who  watched 
him,  noticed  something  unusual  in  his  attitude,  for  his  com- 
rade stood  very  still  with  eyes  that  never  for  a  moment 
wavered  from  one  point  in  the  valley. 

"  Do  you  see  anything  down  there  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  grimly.    "  I  see  smoke." 

"  There  is  nothing  astonishing  in  that,"  said  Seaforth. 
"  I  damped  down  the  bark  well,  and  raked  up  the  soil  to 
shut  off  the  draught.  There  was  a  big  pile  of  wet  green 
twigs,  Harry." 

Alton  smiled  curiously.    "  You  made  one  fire  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth  wondering.  "  We  don't  usually 
make  two." 

His  sight  was  not  equal  to  his  comrade's,  but  he  could 
see  a  smear  of  blue  vapour  curl  athwart  the  pines,  for  he 
had  banked  the  fire  with  wet  fuel,  so  that  it  should  smoke 
all  day  in  case  Tom  of  Okanagan  had  overtaken  the  horse 
and  was  following  their  trail. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  dryly,  "  there  is  another  one." 

Seaforth  swept  his  gaze  twice  across  the  valley  before  he 
saw  anything  beyond  the  crowded  pines,  and  then  for  a 
moment  he  caught  sight  of  a  second  faint  streak  athwart 
their  sombreness.  It  was  a  mere  film  that  vanished  and 
rose  again,  illusory  and  almost  imperceptible,  but  for  some 
reason  it  troubled  him. 

"  It  might  be  Tom,"  he  said. 

Alton  laughed  in  a  curious  fashion.    "  I  don't  think  it  is. 

169 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

One  fire  would  be  enough  for  Tom  to  make  his  supper 
with,  and  that  one's  nearer  us." 

"  But,"  said  Seaforth,  "  I  can  scarcely  see  the  smoke." 

Alton  raised  one  hand  impatiently.  "  No,"  he  said. 
"  Whoever  made  that  fire  didn't  want  you  to,  and  there's 
no  need  to  make  much  smoke  if  you  keep  clear  of  sap 
and  twigs." 

Seaforth's  face  grew  grave.  "  Is  there  any  reason  why 
you  can't  tell  me  a  little  more?  If  the  man  would  sooner 
we  did  not  see  it  what  did  he  make  the  fire  for  ? " 

Alton  smiled  grimly.  "  I  don't  know  any  more,  but  a 
man  must  eat,"  he  said.  "  In  the  meanwhile  it  seems  to 
me  that  fellow  understands  his  business,  and  I've  a  kind  of 
notion  we  shall  hear  from  him  or  see  him  presently." 

Seaforth  glanced  back  along  the  blue-grey  trail  that  led 
towards  the  bare  hill  shoulder,  which  rose  a  mere  ridge  of 
the  great  mountain  side  that  swept  round  the  hollow. 

"  There  is  no  controverting  that,  and  he  needn't  have 
much  difficulty  in  finding  us  if  he  wants  to.  Is  there  any- 
thing to  be  done  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton  dryly.  "  If  there  was,  I'd  sit  down  here 
and  wait  for  him,  but  there's  nothing  to  stop  a  free  miner 
prospecting  round  where  it  suits  him  in  this  country." 


170 


CHAPTER   XVII 

ALONE 

THE  frost  held  for  two  days,  and  the  men  made  small 
progress  through  the  dusty  snow.  On  the  third  it  grew 
softer  as  they  floundered  wearily  down  into  a  valley,  and 
Seaforth  was  aching  in  every  limb  when  at  last  they  halted 
at  the  edge  of  a  river.  Not  far  below  them  it  plunged 
frothing  into  a  gloomy  canon,  and  the  roar  of  its  turmoil 
came  out  of  the  thin  white  vapour  which  Curled  through 
the  stupendous  portals  of  stream-worn  stone.  Seaforth 
felt  moist  and  generally  uncomfortable,  as  well  as  weary, 
for  it  was  humid  and  a  trifle  warmer  now,  while  his  long 
boots  were  soaked,  and  at  every  step  he  dragged  after  him 
a  clogging  weight  of  snow.  He  leaned  against  a  cedar, 
glad  to  rest  a  while,  and  glanced  inquiringly  at  his  comrade. 

Alton,  however,  showed  no  sign  of  fatigue.  He  stood 
with  the  half-melted  snow  he  had  fallen  in  clinging  about 
his  deerskin  jacket  and  trickling  slowly  down  his  tattered 
leggings,  the  bridle  of  the  worn-out  horse  in  his  hand  and 
a  slight  perplexity  in  his  eyes. 

"  Now,  I  wonder  if  that  will  make  a  road  to  the  south," 
he  said  reflectively,  pointing  to  the  canon. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Seaforth  dryly.  "  So  far  as  my 
opinion  goes,  I  scarqely  think  it  will;  but  isn't  that  a  little 
outside  the  question?  Just  now  a  road  to  the  north  would 
be  more  to  the  purpose." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  a  few  sticks  of  giant  powder  here 
and  there  would  make  a  difference,  and  one  could  do  a 
good  deal  with  a  few  score  of  men  used  to  the  pick  and 
drill." 

"  It  would  also,"  said  Seaforth,  "  take  a  good  many 
dollars  to  pay  them." 

Alton    laughed    as    he    turned,    and   pointed   upstream. 

171 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Darkness  was  not  far  away,  and  the  river  came  'down  Heep 
and  slow  out  of  the  dimness.  Dark  pines  rolled  up  the 
hillsides  that  shut  it  in,  and  wisps  of  grey  vapour  drifted 
about  them. 

"  There  are,"  he  said,  "  dollars  enough  to  build  a  road 
right  down  to  Vancouver  in  those  hills,  and  by  and  by  one 
of  two  men  will  have  his  hands  on  them." 

"  Isn't  that  a  somewhat  curious  way  of  putting  it  ?  "  said 
his  companion. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  there  is  as  usual  a  reason.  Which- 
ever of  those  men  comes  out  on  top  will  not  have  much 
use  for  the  other  fellow.  In  the  meanwhile  we'll  be  getting 
on.  There's  a  canoe  under  the  big  boulders  yonder,  and 
the  island  'should  make  the  horse  a  corral." 

Seaforth  said  nothing,  though  he  thought  a  good  deal. 
He  guessed  that  one  of  the  men  alluded  to  was  his  comrade 
and  the  other  Hallam,  and  there  was  a  grim  suggestiveness 
in  the  former's  simple  explanation,  for  it  seemed  that  Alton 
understood  quarter  would  not  be  given  in  the  struggle 
he  had  embarked  upon.  There  was  also  something  dis- 
concerting in  the  fact  that  they  found  the  canoe  where  he 
indicated.  That  it  had  lain  there  since  Jimmy  the  pros- 
pector, who  lay  sleeping  on  the  heights  above  them,  had 
last  used  it  emphasized  the  desolation  of  the  region  they 
were  pushing  their  way  into,  and  Seaforth  once  more  felt  a 
curious  depression  as  he  glanced  up  the  lonely  valley.  It 
stretched  away  before  them,  a  road  to  the  unknown,  and  he 
fancied  that  a  future  which  was  fraught  with  great 
and  perilous  possibilities  lay  hidden  beyond  the  drifting 
mist. 

They  had,  it  seemed,  set  out  upon  a  journey  which  led 
farther  than  the  silver  Jimmy  had  found,  but  knowing  that 
his  comrade  would  go  on  to  the  end  of  it,  Seaforth  shook 
off  his  misgivings,  and  assisted  him  to  load  and  launch  the 
craft.  They  made  fast  the  pack-horse  by  a  halter,  and  in 
ten  minutes  had  landed  the  beast  upon  an  island.  Then, 
somewhat  to  Seaforth's  regret,  they  took  up  the  paddles 
and  went  on  again.  Alton  smiled  curiously  as  he  glanced 
towards  the  firs  that  slid  by  them  half -seen  through  the 
mist. 

172 


ALONE 

"  We're  taking  Jimmy's  road.  He  was  the  last  man  to 
come  down  here,  and  I  wonder  what  he  was  thinking 
about,"  he  said.  "  There  would  have  been  an  ice  fringe 
along  the  bank,  and  Jimmy  was  hungry.  I  think  he  knew 
he  wouldn't  get  through,  and  it  was  only  because  of  the 
woman  he  held  on  so  tight."  » 

Seaforth  shivered  a  little,  as  his  fancy  called  up  the  scene. 
The  starving  man  crouching  half-frozen  with  the  paddle 
clenched  in  stiffened  ringers  had  watched  those  trees  slide 
by  him,  knowing  that  on  their  speed  depended  his  fast- 
failing  chance  of  life.  He  had,  Seaforth  fancied,  stared 
at  the  crawling  boulders  with  despair  in  his  dimming  eyes, 
and  the  weary  man  turned  towards  his  comrade  almost 
savagely. 

"Can't  you  think  of  anything  a  little  more  pleasant?" 
he  said. 

Alton  smiled  gravely.  "  It  comes  to  all  of  us  one  day, 
and  the  trail  of  the  treasure-seeker  leads  most  often  to  the 
unknown  hunting  grounds,"  he  said.  "  We  have  got  to 
keep  faith  with  Jimmy.  He  did  his  best,  and  I  think  he 
knew  I  would  come  up  here  after  him." 

Seaforth  said  nothing  further,  but  bent  over  his  paddle, 
until  an  hour  later  they  landed  on  a  point  and  set  up  the 
tent.  Neither  was  communicative  over  their  supper,  and 
Seaforth  went  early  to  sleep.  The  last  thing  he  saw  was 
Alton  sitting,  a  black  motionless  figure,  apparently  staring 
into  the  darkness  from  the  door  of  the  tent,  with  his  face 
towards  the  north. 

It  was  raining  when  he  awakened  next  morning.  The 
tent  was  saturated,  _ the  fire  ill  to  light,  and  that  day  was 
spent  in  unremitting  toil.  The  stream  ran  strong  against 
them,  and  Seaforth's  wet  hands  grew  blistered  from  the 
grasp  of  the  paddle  and  his  knees  raw  from  the  rasp  of  the 
craft's  bottom  as  he  swung  with  the  weary  blade.  Hour  by 
hour  the  rain  beat  on  them,  and  the  pines  that  crawled  out 
of  it  went  very  slowly  by,  while  it  was  almost  a  relief  to 
stand  upright  now  and  then,  and  with  strenuous  effort  drive 
the  frail  shell  up  against  the  swirl  of  the  slower  rapids  with 
long  fir  poles.  At  times  they  were  swept  down  sideways 
before  the  poles  could  find  hold  again,  and  fought,  gasping 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

and  panting,  for  minutes  to  regain  what  they  had  lost  in 
as  many  seconds. 

Now  and  then  it  was  also  needful  to  drag  the  canoe  out, 
flounder  amidst  boulders  or  through  tangled  forest  with 
her  contents,  and  then,  hewing  a  path  here  and  there  with 
the  axe,  painfully  drag  her  round ;  but  portage  after  portage 
was  left  behind,  and  they  were  still  fighting  their  way  yard 
by  yard  upstream  while  the  rain  came  down.  Seaforth 
also  knew  that  it  often  rains  for  several  weeks  in  that 
country  when  the  Chinook  wind  that  melts  the  snow  sets  in. 

Darkness  was  closing  down  when  at  last  they  drew  the 
canoe  out  upon  -a  shelving  bank  and  dragged  themselves 
ashore.  Seaforth  was  too  chilled  and  wet  to  sleep,  and  his 
eyes  had  scarcely  closed  when  Alton  shook  him,  and  he 
rose  up,  shivering,  and  stiff  in  every  joint,  to  commence 
the  task  again.  It  was  fortunately  easier  that  day,  for  the 
river  spread  out  into  a  narrow  winding  lake,  and  there  was 
less  current  against  them.  Still  the  rain  did  not  abate, 
and  the  afternoon  was  not  quite  spent  when  Alton  pointed 
to  a  little  cove. 

"  We  haven't  made  much  to-day,  but  unless  you're 
anxious  to  go  on  that  would  make  a  good  camping-place." 
he  said  deprecatingly.  "  Now  there  was  a  time  when  I 
wouldn't  have  thought  of  stopping  yet,  but  I  guess  too 
much  good  living  has  taken  a  little  of  the  stiffening  out 
of  me." 

Seaforth  slowly  unclenched  one  hand  from  the  red- 
smeared  paddle-haft,  and  glanced  at  it.  "  If  you  feel 
diffident,  don't  worry  about  me,"  he  said.  "  Eight  hours' 
hard  labour  while  you're  wet  through  is,  in  my  opinion, 
quite  enough  for  anybody." 

Alton  ran  the  canoe  in,  and  Seaforth  staggered  a  little 
when  he  walked  ashore.  The  water  was  draining  from 
him,  and  it  was  several  minutes  before  he  could  straighten 
himself.  There  were  pools  amidst  the  boulders,  and  when 
they  had  splashed  through  these  to  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
fallen  needles  and  withered  fern  were  spongy,  while  the 
dark  branches  shook  down  water  on  them  as  they  swung 
to  the  chilly  blast.  Seaforth  groaned  now  and  then  as  he 
struggled  with  the  tent,  while  Alton  tramped  into  the 


ALONE 

forest  with  the  axe,  but  he  came  back  presently  with  an 
armful  of  resinous  chips,  and  his  comrade's  spirits  rose  a 
trifle  when  a  crackling  fire  flung  its  red  flicker  through  the 
creeping  shadows.  It  hissed  as  the  gusts  lashed  it  with 
the  rain,  but  the  blackened  and  dinted  kettle  boiled,  and 
while  they  ate  and  drank  the  smoke-flavoured*  tea,  a  little 
warmth  crept  with  the  pungent  vapour  into  the  tent. 

The  bush  was  dim  and  shadowy  before  the  meal  was 
finished,  but  Alton  flung  fresh  branches  on  the  fire,  and 
the  blaze  that  whirled  aloft  rent  a  track  of  radiance  through 
the  rain,  and  called  up  the  vague  outlines  of  the  columnar 
trunks.  Then  he  stretched  himself  out  upon  an  armful  of 
dripping  twigs,  and  his  garments  steamed  about  him  as  he 
lighted  an  old  blackened  pipe.  Seaforth  lay  amidst  the 
packages,  feeling  blissfully  drowsy  as  the  warmth  crept 
slowly  into  his  aching  limbs.  Overhead  the  pine  branches 
wailed  in  wild  harmonies,  and  the  showers  they  shook  down 
beat  upon  the  tent. 

"  It  seems  to  me  this  journey  might  have  begun  better," 
said  Alton  presently. 

Seaforth  nodded  full  concurrence.  "  It  would  be  a  little 
difficult  to  imagine  it  commencing  very  much  worse. 
Wouldn't  it  have  been  wiser  if  you  had  waited  a  little  longer, 
Harry?" 

Alton  seemed  to  notice  something  unusual  in  his  com- 
panion's inflection.  "  You  will  have  to  talk  straighter, 
Charley,"  he  said. 

Seaforth,  who  saw  the  glint  in  his  eyes,  laughed.  "  I 
merely  meant  that  spring  is  coming,  and  it  would  be  a 
trifle  warmer  then.  I'm  inclined  to  be  a  little  cantankerous 
to-night,  but,  of  course,  it  is  not  my  business  how  long  you 
stayed  at  the  ranch." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  dryly,  "  I  don't  think  it  is.  Spring 
would  have  been  nicer,  but,  you  see,  Hallam  was  crowding 
me.  Did  anything  else  strike  you,  Charley  ?  " 

"  Nothing  of  much  importance,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling. 
"  Only  that  while  we  lie  shivering  here  Hallam  is  probably 
dining  in  state  in  the  big  hotel  at  Vancouver.  Jingling 
glasses,  good  wine,  light  and  warmth,  flowers  and  silver 
on  the  table.  The  contrast's  a  little  exasperating." 

175 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

Alton  glanced  at  the  saturated  canvas  and  his  steaming 
clothes,  while  Seaforth,  for  no  apparent  reason,  stretched 
out  one  foot  and  kicked  over  the  dinted  kettle. 

"  There  are  folks  who  would  think  that's  only  fit,"  he 
said.  "  Mr.  Hallam  is  one  of  the  men  who  are  building  up 
the  future  greatness  of  this  wonderful  country.  At  least, 
that's  what  they  called  him  at  the  last  big  speech-making, 
but  I  don't  quite  see  what  good  it  would  do  us  if  you 
kicked  the  bottom  of  that  kettle  in,  Charley.  Now  it's 
curious  how  a  thing  that's  once  started  goes  on.  Jimmy 
took  a  notion  that  there  was  silver  here,  and  that  drew  me 
in  as  well  as  Mrs.  Jimmy.  Then  you  came  along,  and 
presently  it  got  hold  of  Hallam.  The  Somasco  Consoli- 
dated has  got  drawn  in,  too — now  there  are  you  and  I,  with 
only  the  Almighty  knows  how  much  upon  our  shoulders, 
up  here  in  the  rain  and  snow." 

Seaforth  glanced  at  his  comrade  reflectively  as  he  said, 
"  I  was  wondering  if  there  was  anybody  else." 

Alton's  face  grew  suddenly  impassive.  "  Oh,  yes,"  he 
said.  "  There's  another  man  I  don't  know,  the  one  who 
lighted  the  fire.  He's  back  there  somewhere." 

Seaforth  said  nothing  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  as  he 
glanced  about  him  the  shadows  seemed  to  grow  darker 
beyond  the  flickering  radiance  of  the  fire,  and  the  roar  of 
wind  in  the  branches  angrier.  He  had  been  a  prey  to  half- 
formed  suspicions  of  late,  and  there  was  something  sinister 
in  the  thought  of  that  man  who  followed  them. 

"  Harry,"  he  said  presently,  "  you  have  got  most  of  the 
things  you  wanted  so  far  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  quietly.  "  It  wasn't  always  easy,  and 
they  didn't  come  to  me,  but  I  knew  what  I  wanted,  and  I 
usually  got  it." 

Seaforth  made  a  sign  of  comprehension.  "  Did  it  ever 
occur  to  you  that  you  had  probably  as  much  already  as  is 
good  for  you  ?  " 

Alton  glanced  at  him  with  half-closed  eyes.  "  A  little 
plainer,  Charley." 

"  You  have  Somasco,  the  liking  of  all  the  ranchers  down 
the  valley,  the  timber  rights  and  mill.  You  have  also  Car- 
naby,  and  most  folks  would  think  you  a  fortunate  man. 

176 


ALONE 

Now  the  man  who  wants  too  much  is  occasionally  sorry 
when  he  gets  it." 

Alton's  eyes  glinted.  "  I  have  a  partner,  too,  who 
doesn't  know  where  to  stop,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  met  his  comrade's  gaze  steadily.  "  This,"  he 
said  reflectively,  "  is  a  good  country.  In  fact  >I  don't  know 
a  better  one  for  the  man  who  wants  to  live  as  he  was 
meant  to  in  the  wind  and  sun,  watching  what  he  has 
worked  for  slowly  grow.  Is  it  a  little  thing,  Harry,  to 
see  the  oats  and  timothy  where  the  forest  had  been,  to 
clear  a  new  way  for  the  river  with  giant  powder,  and  hear 
the  big  wheels  humming  where  there  was  only  a  frothing 
rapid?  Orchards,  barns,  and  homestead  built  by  your  own 
labour,  horses  and  herds  of  cattle  all  your  own,  and  by 
and  by  the  railroad  coming  through  to  bring  you  the  long 
dreamed  of  prosperity.  It's  alluring,  Harry  ?  " 

The  glint  was  a  trifle  plainer  in  Alton's  eyes,  and  his  lean 
fingers  were  closed  together.  "  I  don't  quite  see  where 
that  trail  leads  to,"  he  said  quietly. 

Seaforth  laughed  a  little.  "  It  is  good  to  rise  when  the 
sun  is  creeping  above  the  firs  and  plunge  down  into  an 
ice-cold  pool.  Better  still  to  lie  on  the  verandah',  tired  in 
body,  tranquil  in  mind,  when  the  snows  are  fading  and 
your  work  is  done,  knowing  that  every  redwood  hewn  and 
new  plough-furrow  driven  has  been  so  much  added  to  the 
prosperity  of  this  province  and  the  Dominion.  It  isn't  a 
bad  life — this  one  you  were  meant  for,  Harry." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  slowly.  "  There  are  times  when  I'm  a 
very  thankful  man." 

"  Well,  there  is  another  one,  and  I  have  seen  very  tired 
men  playing  at  being  amused  by  the  trifles  that  sickened 
them.  They  had,  however,  kept  up  the  game  so  long  that 
the  manhood  they  were  once  proud  of  was  only, a  memory. 
There  are  a  good  many  of  them  in  the  old  country,  and 
some  of  them  have  sacrificed  all  they  had  for  the  one  thing 
that  wasn't  good  for  them.  It  was  too  late  when  they 
found  it  out,  Harry." 

Alton's  face  was  grim.  "  It  would,"  he  said,  "  be  a  pity 
if  you  and  I  fell  out,  Charley." 

Seaforth  laughed  in  a  curious  fashion.    "  It  would,  but  I 

177 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

scarcely  think  we  shall.  You  and  I  are  partners,  and  a 
little  more,  and  I  will  keep  silent  now  I  have  spoken." 

Alton  said  nothing,  but  sat  smoking  and  staring  at  the 
fire,  until  Seaforth  rolled  himself  in  his  damp  blankets  and 
sank  into  not  altogether  refreshing  sleep.  A  misty  light 
was  creeping  into  the  tent  when  he  was  awakened  by  the 
thudding  of  his  companion's  axe,  and  rising  stiffly  with  the 
ache  at  the  hip- joint  which  every  bushman  knows,  went 
out  shivering. 

"  Coffee !  "  said  Alton.  "  I  left  it  in  the  deerhide  bag  in 
the  canoe." 

Seaforth's  limbs  were  too  stiff  to  be  much  use  to  him 
yet,  and  he  blundered  amidst  the  boulders,  falling  over 
one  or  two,  before  he  reached  the  shingle  where  they  had 
partly  drawn  out  the  canoe.  Then  he  stood  still,  staring 
about  him,  and  saw  only  the  green-tinted  water  sliding  by 
under  the  uncertain  light,  and  the  pines  on  the  other  side 
growing  a  trifle  plainer  through  the  mist.  Turning,  he 
hastened  along  the  shingle  until  a  shelf  of  rock  shut  it  in, 
and  then  back  to  the  tent  again.  Alton  laid  down  the  axe, 
for  there  was  something  in  his  comrade's  face  that  troubled 
him. 

"  Have  you  got  it?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth  very  quietly.  "  You  told  me  the  bag 
was  in  the  canoe." 

"Of  course,"  said  Alton.    "Well,  wasn't  it  there?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Seaforth.  "I  couldn't  find  the 
canoe." 

Alton  said  nothing  further,  but  stumbled  in  haste 
towards  the  river.  Seaforth  followed  him  more  slowly, 
and  Alton  stood  very  still  when  he  found  nothing  but 
boulders  and  shingle.  Then  he  stooped  and  bent  over  a 
little  depression  in  the  pebbles,  and  when  he  rose  again 
his  face  was  impassive. 

"  The  water  has  risen  since  last  night,  but  I'm  not  sure 
that  accounts  for  it,"  he  said.  "  The  bank  slopes  a  little, 
but  we  pulled  most  of  her  out." 

"  I  think  we  pulled  the  whole  of  her  clear,"  said  Seaforth 
quietly. 

Alton  stood  silent  for  almost  a  minute  with  his  right 

178 


ALONE 

hand  clenched.  Then  he  said  slowly,  "You'll  have  to  go 
down  and  look  for  her  while  I  push  on,  Charley." 

Seaforth  was  about  to  speak,  but  he  saw  his  comrade's 
eyes  and  did  not  express  himself  as  he  had  meant  to. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.    "  I  don't  know  that  I  shall  find  her." 

The  two  men  looked  at  each  other,  until*  Alton  moved 
his  head.  "  Still,  one  of  us  must  try,"  he  said.  "  Take  all 
you  can  carry,  and  a  rifle.  I'll  load  up  as  much  as  I'm  fit 
for,  and  we'll  cache  the  rest.  You'll  come  on  after  me,  or 
join  Tom,  as  you  think  best." 

Seaforth  smiled  a  little.  "  I'll  come  on,  and  even  if  I 
sacrifice  something  else  I'll  take  the  rifle." 

Alton  said  nothing,  and  for  an  hour  they  were  busy  about 
the  camp.  Then  as  they  stood  a  moment,  loaded  like  beasts 
of  burden,  under  the  dripping  pines,  Seaforth  held  out  his 
hand. 

"  Harry,  are  you  wise  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Alton  simply ;  "  but  I'm  going  on." 

It  was  noticeable  that  they  shook  hands,  which  they  were 
not  in  the  habit  of  doing,  and  that  there  was  a  very  faint 
but  perceptible  tremor  in  Seaforth's  voice. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  with  a  smile,  which  seemed  to  lack 
heartiness,  "  I  wouldn't  put  it  that  way." 

He  swung  forward  with  his  face  towards  the  north,  but 
the  smile  faded  and  his  fingers  closed  on  the  rifle  when  he 
heard  Seaforth  struggling  southwards  through  the  bush. 
"  Two  of  them  gone  now,"  he  said.  "  I  wonder  if  that  is 
what  the  other  fellow  wanted." 


179 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

IN  THE  WILDERNESS 

DUSK  was  closing  down  on  the  valley,  and  the  rain  had 
ceased,  when  Alton  unstrapped  his  load,  and  stood  with 
aching  shoulders  amidst  the  dripping  pines.  He  could  hear 
the  rattle  of  the  twigs  that  met  and  brushed  through  the 
shrill  wailing  of  the  wind  about  the  sombre  spires  that 
pierced  the  growing  darkness  far  above  him,  and  the  har- 
monic murmuring  that  rose  and  fell  in  cadence  along  the 
dim,  vaulted  roof.  There  was,  however,  nothing  else  be- 
yond the  growl  of  a  rapid  somewhere  up  the  valley,  and 
stretching  out  his  arms  wearily,  he  stooped  with  a  little 
smile  that  was  grim  rather  than  mirthful  and  caught  up 
the  axe. 

Now  one  can  usually  hear  the  thudding  of  the  axe  a 
mile  or  more  in  the  stillness  of  the  woods  that  is  not  silence 
to  the  bushman's  ear.  Their  voice  is  always  musical,  and 
the  sounds  that  man  makes  jar  through  its  harmonies,  but 
only  a  forest  rancher  or  free  prospector  would  have  caught 
the  muffled  sound,  that  was  lost  in  the  song  of  the  pines 
a  few  score  yards  from  Alton's  camp.  He  knew  where  to 
find  the  resinous  knots  with  their  sticky  exudations,  and 
was  a  master  of  the  axe,  while  it  was  noticeable  that  when 
the  fire  commenced  to  crackle  he  stood  still  and  listened 
again  before  he  went  down  to  the  river  with  the  kettle. 
Nor  did  he  at  once  return  into  the  light,  but  slipped  for 
a  moment  behind  a  wide-girthed  trunk.  It  was  only  a  deer 
he  heard  moving  along  the  hillside  above  him,  and  there 
was  nothing  visible  but  the  row  of  stupendous  columns  that 
appeared  and  vanished  as  the  red  light  rose  and  sank. 
Alton  set  the  kettle  down  amidst  the  flame,  and  unrolling 
one  of  the  packages  laid  out  his  supper. 

It  was  prepared  and  eaten  in  twenty  minutes,  and  re- 

180 


IN   THE   WILDERNESS 

filling  the  kettle  for  breakfast  he  lay  smoking  in  a  hollow 
between  the  great  roots  which  crawled  away  from  a  cedar- 
trunk.  Nothing  moved  in  the  bush  now  but  a  bear  that 
was  grubbing  amidst  the  wild  cabbage  in  a  swamp,  and 
the  weary  man,  stretching  out  his  hand  instinctively  to 
touch  the  rifle  that  lay  within  his  reach,  gave  himself  up 
to  thought.  He  had  also  much  to  occupy  him,  and  being 
a  somewhat  systematic  person  he  proceeded  to  consider  the 
questions  that  demanded  an  answer  in  what  appeared  to 
him  their  order  of  importance.  It  was  characteristic  that 
in  face  of  recent  events  he  placed  the  probable  whereabouts 
of  the  silver  first. 

This  was  at  the  first  glance  a  somewhat  difficult  problem. 
In  front  of  him  lay  the  wilderness,  a  trackless  chaos  of 
forest  and  rock  and  snow  wherein  he  had  to  find  the  scar 
made  by  a  stick  of  giant  powder  or  the  scratching  of  the 
shovel.  There  were,  however,  points  to  guide  the  searcher, 
and  Alton  could  deduce  a  good  deal  from  each  of  them. 
Jimmy  the  prospecter  had,  it  was  evident,  perished  of 
hunger  and  exhaustion,  for  Alton  had  traced  the  last  stages 
of  his  journey  backwards  through  the  snow,  and  the  grim 
story  of  human  endurance  and  anguish  was  plainly  legible. 
Here  Jimmy  had  fallen,  there  lain  still,  and  then  dragged 
himself  forward  before  he  rose  again,  while  the  uneven 
footsteps  had  borne  their  own  testimony.  Also  the  bag  of 
specimens  was  heavy,  and  Alton  decided  that  for  a  man 
in  the  last  stages  of  exhaustion,  the  river  had  furnished  the 
only  road.  The  silver  was  therefore  somewhere  up  the 
valley,  and  as  it  was  winter  when  Jimmy  found  it,  it  would 
lie  low  down  where  the  snow  was  cut  off  by  the  pines. 
Alton  lay  still  a  minute  with  a  curious  glint  in  his  eyes 
when  the  firelight  touched  them  which  was  a  tribute  to  the 
dead  man,  and  then  filled  his  pipe  again. 

His  journey  had  been  marked  by  petty  misfortunes, 
each  of  which  might  become  a  more  serious  one,  hitherto, 
and  he  was  now  alone.  This  might  be  due  to  coincidence, 
but  Alton,  admitting  that  hypothesis,  proceeded  to  consider 
an  alternative  one  which  resolved  itself  into  two.  It  was 
generally  known  in  Somasco  that  he  and  Jimmy  had  held 
the  clue  to  a  secret  that  might  be  valuable,  and  strange 

181 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

prospectors  for  timber  rights  and  minerals  occasionally 
strayed  into  the  valley.  Alton  knew  that  most  of  the  bush- 
men  and  free  prospectors  had  a  standard  of  honour  which 
was  somewhat  higher  than  that  usually  lived  up  to  in  the 
cities.  They  were  quiet,  fearless,  free-handed  men,  the 
antitype  ot  the  roystering  desperadoes  he  had  now  and 
then  seen  them  depicted  as  by  those  who  did  not  know 
them.  There  were,  he,  however,  knew,  among  them  a 
few  who  it  was  probable  had  their  own  reasons  for  vacat- 
ing the  great  Republic,  and  these  were  men  of  distinctly 
different  calibre.  One  or  more  of  them,  it  seemed,  might 
have  heard  of  his  aspirations  and  be  following  him.  If  so, 
it  was  evident  that  he  would  be  in  security  until  he  found 
the  silver.  Then  the  peril  would  begin. 

This  led  to  the  second  issue.  Alton  was  quite  aware 
that  he  had  an  enemy  whom  he  had  got  the  better  of  on 
several  occasions  hitherto.  Partly  because  devious  finesse 
is  not  always  superior  to  shrewd  sense  and  fearless  honesty, 
he  had  as  yet  held  his  own  against  Hallam  of  the  Tyee. 
Both  knew  that  a  time  of  prosperity  was  approaching  for 
Somasco,  and  had  decided  more  or  less  correctly  that  it 
would  lead  to  affluence  the  man  who  had  control  of  the 
valley;  but  while  Alton  had  striven  with  arduous  toil  to 
bring  about  this  consummation,  Hallam  of  the  Tyee  was 
waiting  while  those  he  meant  to  plunder  worked  for  him. 
It  was  also  plain  that  there  was  no  room  for  two  leaders 
with  divergent  aspirations,  and  the  rancher  had  seen 
sufficient  of  his  opponent's  dealings  to  recognize  that  he 
would  not  scruple  about  any  measures  which  promised  to 
rid  him  of  a  rival.  Therefore  it  became  him  to  be  careful, 
and  once  more  his  fingers  fell  upon  the  rifle. 

Alton  had  reached  the  limit  of  his  surmises,  and  refilling 
his  pipe  again  abandoned  himself  to  more  pleasant  dreams. 
He  heard  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  ringing  among  the 
pines,  and  the  hum  of  the  great  mills  that  would  grind 
out  wealth  for  Somasco.  Then  while  the  pungent  smoke 
curled  about  him  visions  materialized  out  of  its  filmy 
wreaths,  and  he  saw  the  lake  at  Carnaby  shining  amidst 
the  woodlands  of  peaceful  England,  and  the  old  grey  hall. 
In  place  of  the  sting  of  the  resin  he  could  smell  the  English 

182 


IN    THE    WILDERNESS 

roses,  and  when  the  next  acrid  wisp  slid  past  him  it  seemed 
to  change  its  form,  and  there  grew  out  of  it  the  gracious, 
alluring  shape  of  a  woman.  Costly  fabrics  floated  about 
her,  there  was  a  flash  of  diamonds  in  the  red-gold  hair, 
a  face  that  lost  its  patrician  serenity  as  it  srniled,  and  for 
a  setting  the  glitter  of  light  and  silver  in  the  great  hall 
at  Carnaby.  Alton,  whose  eyes  were  growing  dim,  stretched 
out  his  arms  towards  the  darkness,  and  a  chilling  gust 
swept  the  smoke  aside,  while  great  drops  of  water  fell  splash- 
ing upon  him.  He  was  back  once  more  in  the  wilderness,  a 
wet  and  very  weary  man,  with  thorn-rents  in  his  deerskin 
jacket  and  the  mire  clinging  about  him,  but  he  smiled  as 
he  rose  stiffly  and  stretched  his  aching  limbs. 

"  I  figure  there's  a  good  deal  to  be  done  before  that  time 
comes,  and  some  of  it  can't  wait  after  sun  up,"  he  said. 

Then,  having  left  the  tent  behind,  he  carried  his  blankets 
away  from  the  fire,  and  rolled  himself  up  in  them  between 
two  great  fir-roots  that  afforded  concealment  as  well  as 
shelter.  Though  he  had  strewn  them  about  the  blaze  the 
blankets  were  still  clammy,  but  he  drew  the  damp  folds 
about  him  uncomplainingly,  and  lay  down  with  the  rifle  at 
his  side.  Ten  minutes  passed.  The  fire  snapped  and 
crackled,  the  growl  of  the  rapid  rose  and  fell  fitfully,  but 
the  worn-out  man  heard  neither,  for  he  was  sleeping  heavily. 

There  are  many  like  him  who  dream  great  dreams  scat- 
tered across  the  new  lands  by  the  Pacific  from  the  snow 
of  the  Yukon  to  Mexico,  but  their  visions  are  sacred  and 
not  expressed  in  speech,  while  a  smile  which  is  half  iron- 
ical flickers  in  the  steadfast  eyes  when  they  hear  them 
caricatured  by  the  platform  Imperialist.  Their  words  are 
scanty,  but  their  handiwork  is  plain;  the  gap  hewn  in  the 
virgin  forest,  bridge  flung  over  frothing  river,  and  the  raw 
rent  of  the  giant  powder  amidst  the  lonely  hills.  It  is 
crude  and  unsightly  often,  the  creosote-reeking  railroad 
track,  and  the  ugly  humming  mills,  but  it  means  food  for 
the  toilers,  good  wages  and  trade,  and  in  place  of  a  pleas- 
ance  for  the  rich  to  seek  diversion  in,  a  new  and  rich  do- 
minion won,  not  for  England,  or  the  Republic,  alone,  but 
for  humanity. 

He  started  with  the  sunrise,  the  pack-straps  galling  his 

183 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

shoulders,  his  feet  bleeding  in  the  saturated  boots,  clammy 
blankets,  flour-bag,  and  pork  upon  his  aching  back,  kettle, 
frypan,  and  rifle  rattling  about  him,  and  for  the  first  hour 
every  stride  that  led  him  farther  into  the  wilderness  was 
made  with  pain  and  difficulty.  Still,  he  made  it  cheerfully, 
for  Alton  had  long  borne  the  burden  that  was  laid  on  Adam 
uncomplainingly,  while  his  rival,  sitting  beyond  the  reach  of 
hardship  in  his  Vancouver  office,  plotted,  and  filched  the 
fruits  of  others'  toil.  It  was  also  an  apparently  unequal 
conflict  they  had  been  drawn  into,  subtlety  pitted  against 
sturdiness,  the  elusive,  foining  rapier  against  the  bushman's 
axe,  but  there  are  moments  in  all  struggles  when  finesse 
does  not  avail,  and  it  is  by  raw,  unreasoning  valour  a  man 
must  stand  or  fall,  while  at  times  like  these  the  ponderous 
blade  is  the  equal  of  the  slender  streak  of  steel. 

It  was  two  days  later  when  Alton,  who  may  have  made 
ten  miles  in  the  time,  noticed  something  unusual  on  the 
opposite  hillside.  A  snowslide  had  come  down  that  way, 
and  its  path  was  marked  by  willows  and  smaller  trees. 
Alton,  of  course,  knew  that  the  hollow  they  sprang  from 
had  been  scored  out  deep  by  countless  tons  of  debris  and 
snow,  and  that  prospector  Jimmy  would  scarcely  have 
passed  the  place.  It  also  seemed  to  him  that  there  was  a 
gap  in  the  slighter  band  of  forest  which  ran  straight  towards 
the  snowline  up  the  face  of  the  hill  that  suggested  the  work 
of  man,  and  his  pace  quickened  a  trifle  as  he  pressed  for- 
ward towards  the  river.  There  he  stopped  for  several 
minutes,  gazing  about  him. 

The  flood  came  down  before  him  stained  green  with  the 
clay  that  underlies  the  glaciers,  and  swollen  by  rain  and 
snow.  There  was  a  big  pool  above  him,  lake-like  and  still, 
but  it  was  too  wide  for  any  weary  and  shivering  man  to 
swim,  and  the  wild,  white  rush  of  a  rapid  close  below.  Al- 
ton glanced  at  both  of  them  and  a  cluster  of  smaller  trees 
across  the  river,  and  smiled  somewhat  grimly. 

"  Now  I  wonder,"  he  said,  "  why  the  thing  one  wants  the 
most  is  always  on  the  other  side." 

The  firs  behind  him  were  great  of  girth,  the  smallest 
some  distance  from  the  bank,  and  he  was  weary ;  but  loosing 
the  straps  about  him,  he  dropped  his  burdens  and  fell  to 

184 


IN   THE   WILDERNESS 

with  the  axe.  It  was  an  hour  before  the  tree  went  down, 
and  at  least  another  had  passed  before  he  had  hewn  off  a 
portion.  Then  very  slowly  and  painfully  he  rolled  it  to  the 
river  with  skids  and  levers  cut  in  the  bush.  He  was  breath- 
less, and  the  perspiration  dripped  from  him  when  at  last  it 
slid  into  the  water  and  he  seated  himself  asfride,  with  his 
possessions  on  the  wet  bark  in  front  of  him.  The  device 
was  a  very  old  one,  but  there  is  a  difficulty  attached  to  the 
putting  it  in  execution,  for  it  is  needful  to  lean  out  a  little 
while  using  the  propelling  pole,  and  a  log  is  addicted  to 
rolling  round  when  anything  disturbs  its  equilibrium. 

Alton,  of  course,  knew  this,  but  when  still  some  distance 
from  the  opposite  side,  had  apparently  to  choose  between  a 
somewhat  perilous  effort  and  an  unwished-for  descent  of  the 
rapid.  He  glanced  at  its  foaming  rush  a  moment,  and  then 
decided  upon  the  former.  Several  times  he  dipped  the  pole 
and  won  a  yard  with  the  strenuous  thrust,  and  then  what  he 
partly  expected  happened.  The  bark  seemed  to  be  slipping 
away  beneath  him,  and,  as  throwing  himself  forward  upon 
his  belongings  he  flung  an  arm  about  it,  the  log  rolled 
slowly,  and  there  was  a  splash  in  the  water.  He  had  re- 
stored the  equilibrium,  but  one  blanket  and  the  flour-bag 
were  in  the  river.  In  another  few  minutes  he  waded  ashore, 
and  drew  the  butt  of  the  log  out  upon  the  shingle  before  he 
turned  to  glance  ruefully  at  the  sliding  water. 

"  If  I  went  back  and  plunged  for  it  I  might  get  that 
flour,"  he  said.  "  Still,  I  should  have  to  go  down  the  rapid 
with  it,  and  I  mightn't  want  it  then." 

Dripping  from  the  waist  with  snow  water,  he  reslung  his 
traps,  glanced  back  at  the  sombre  bush  behind  him  and 
then  plunged  into  that  ahead,  while  the  dusk  was  closing  in 
when  he  stood  panting  amidst  the  stumps  of  smaller  trees. 
The  mark  of  the  axe  was  on  them,  and  somebody  had  piled 
up  a  mound  of  rock  and  stones.  Alton  drew  in  a  long 
breath  and  shook  off  his  burden. 

"  Jimmy's  claim,"  he  said.  "  It  may  mean — most  any- 
thing— to  me." 

Then,  though  his  pulses  throbbed,  and  he  could  feel  his 
blood  tingling,  he  fell  to  work  systematically,  groping 
about  the  excavation  the  dead  man  had  made  where  the 

185 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

snowslide  had  rent  apart  the  forest  and  scored  out  the  rock 
for  him.  Here  and  there  he  smashed  a  fragment  of  it  with 
the  back  of  the  axe,  or  picked  up  a  discoloured  stone  of 
unusual  gravity  and  compared  it  with  the  pieces  he  took 
out  of  a  little  bag,  until  at  last  he  stood  up  stiffly  and  flung 
his  head  back. 

All  round  him  the  forest  rose  dim  and  sombre,  flinging 
back  the  roar  of  the  rapid  in  long  pulsations  of  sound,  and 
its  solitude  was  not  lessened  by  the  presence  of  the  wet 
and  weary  man  standing  so  still  that  his  outline  was  scarcely 
perceptible  against  the  trunks  behind  him.  Save  for  the 
light  of  triumph  in  his  eyes  there  was  nothing  in  the  whole 
scene  to  uplift  the  fancy.  The  man's  garments  were  tat- 
tered, the  river  had  not  washed  the  mire  from  him,  and  one 
of  his  boots  was  gaping,  but  the  discovery  he  had  made  was 
fraught  with  great  possibilities  for  that  lonely  valley,  and 
changes  in  the  destinies  of  many  other  men.  It  had  lain 
wrapped  in  stillness,  a  sanctuary  for  the  beasts  of  the  forest, 
countless  ages  since  the  world  was  young,  being  made  ready 
slowly  by  frost  and  sun,  and  now  man  had  come. 

For  five  long  minutes  Alton  looked  into  the  future,  and 
once  more  the  fragrance  of  English  roses  seemed  to  steal 
faintly  through  the  resinous  odours  of  the  firs.  Then  he 
shook  himself,  and  glanced  again  dubiously  at  the  river. 

"  And  now,"  he  said  half  aloud,  "  I'll  get  supper.  It's  a 
pity  about  that  flour." 

As  those  who  have  sojourned  in  the  bush  of  that  country 
know,  one  can  sup  on  reasty  pork  and  green  tea  alone, 
when  it  is  impossible  to  get  anything  better,  but  there  are 
more  appetizing  compounds,  and  when  the  edge  of  his  ap- 
petite had  been  blunted,  Alton  stopped  with  greasy  fingers 
in  the  frypan  and  a  little  smile  upon  his  face. 

"  And  Somasco's  mine,  and  Carnaby — when  I  ask  for  it, 
with  all  that  lies  beneath  me  here,"  he  said,  and  sat  very 
still  a  space,  with  eyes  that  had  lost  their  keenness  fixed 
upon  the  bush.  He  did  not  see  the  big  balsam  in  front  of 
him  nor  the  dusky  firs,  for  it  was  once  more  the  picture  of 
a  woman  with  red-gold  hair  standing  in  an  English  rose 
garden  his  fancy  painted  him. 

Then  he  rose  abruptly,  and  the  smile  faded,  while  his 

186 


IN   THE   WILDERNESS 

face  grew  grim  again.  "  In  the  meanwhile  I  figure  there's 
a  good  deal  to  do,"  he  said. 

He  commenced  it  by  picking  the  remnants  of  the  pork 
out  of  the  frying-pan,  and  when  he  had  replaced  them  care- 
fully in  the  bag,  he  filled  the  former  with  water  and  set  it 
on  the  fire.  That  done,  he  proceeded  to  hevfr  four  square 
pegs,  and  spent  some  little  time  cutting,  "  One  Discovery," 
upon  the  largest  of  them.  Then  with  a  compass  in  his 
palm  he  strode  with  even  paces  up  the  slope  of  the  hill, 
and  drove  one  of  the  pegs  in,  turned  sharply,  and  floundered 
into  the  bush,  where  he  hammered  down  a  second,  and 
came  back  along  the  river  until  he  had  paced  off  and  marked 
down  an  oblong. 

"  Now  I'll  put  in  the  first  shot,"'  he  said. 

He  toiled  assiduously  with  the  axehead  and  a  little  drill, 
bruising  his  fingers  as  the  light  grew  dim,  and  when  his 
left  hand  was  smeared  with  blood,  drew  out  a  plastic  yellow 
roll  from  one  of  his  bundles.  This  he  gently  rammed  into 
the  hole,  squeezed  down  a  copper  cap  upon  a  strip'  of  fuse, 
and,  lighting  the  latter,  retired  expeditiously  towards  the 
river.  Standing  behind  a  big  cedar,  he  watched  the  train 
of  blue  vapour  and  thin  red  sparks  creep  on  through  the  dusk 
until  a  blaze  of  yellow  flame  leapt  up,  and  a  stunning  de- 
tonation rolled  across  the  woods.  The  hillsides  took  up  the 
sound,  and  flung  it  from  one  to  another  in  great  reverbera- 
tions, while  the  pines,  quivering  in  all  their  sprays,  shook 
drops  of  water  down.  Alton  stood  still  and  listened,  silent 
and  intent,  while  the  discord  died,  until  there  was  once  more 
stillness  again,  realizing  dimly  a  little  of  its  significance. 

It  was  man's  challenge  to  the  wilderness  that  had  lain 
sterile  long,  and  he  could  forecast  the  grimness,  but  not  the 
end  of  the  coming  struggle  with  rock  and  flood  and  snow. 
Other  men  had  gone  down  vanquished  in  such  a  fight,  he 
knew,  and  the  forest  they  slept  in  had  closed  once  more 
upon  and  hidden  the  little  scars  they  made.  Jimmy  had 
also  challenged  savage  nature,  and  Jimmy  was  dead,  while 
the  man  who  came  after  him  stood  alone,  dripping  still, 
and  weary,  amidst  the  whispering  pines ;  he  had  more  than 
the  wilderness  against  him.  Alton  turned  with  a  little 
shiver,  strode  back  to  the  fire,  unrolled  a  piece  of  pork, 

187 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

a  packet  of  green  tea,  and  a  little  bag  of  sugar  from  a  strip 
of  hide.  The  piece  of  pork  was  very  small,  and  a  good 
deal  of  it  apparently  bad.  Then  he  laughed  curiously. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  the  sooner  I  can  get  south  and  put 
in  my  record  the  less  hungry  I'm  likely  to  be,"  he  said. 
"  It  would  be  kind  of  convenient  if  I  could  find  a  deer.  I 
wonder  just  how  far  back  the  other  man  is?" 


188 


CHAPTER   XIX  » 

FOUL   PLAY 

ALTON  looked  for  a  deer  on  the  morrow  and  during 
several  days  that  followed  without  finding  it.  There  are 
tracts  of  the  mountain  province  which  for  no  apparent 
reason  are  almost  devoid  of  animal  life,  while  the  deer  are 
also  addicted  to  travelling  south  towards  valleys  swept  by 
the  warm  Chinook  wind  before  the  approach  of  winter. 
Meanwhile,  though  he  husbanded  it,  the  piece  of  pork  grew 
rapidly  smaller,  and  Alton  hungry,  while  there  were  times 
when  he  wondered  somewhat  anxiously  when  he  would  find 
his  comrades.  It  was  unpleasantly  possible  that  he  might 
miss  them,  which  would  have  been  especially  unfortunate, 
because,  as  every  adult  citizen  is  entitled  to  claim  so  many 
feet  of  frontage  on  unrecorded  mineral  land  which  per- 
tains to  the  Crown,  it  appeared  advisable  that  they  should 
have  the  opportunity  of  staking  off  two  more  claims,  and  his 
provisions  were  almost  exhausted. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  one  evening  he  tramped  some- 
what dejectedly  back  towards  his  camp  through  a  strip  of 
thinner  forest  high  up  on  the  hill.  There  was  a  sting  of 
frost  in  the  air  and  a  little  snow  beneath  his  feet,  while 
his  belt  was  girded  about  him  tightly  and  his  fingers  stiff- 
ened on  the  rifle-barrel.  Alton  had  eaten  nothing  since 
early  morning,  and  very  little  then,  while  the  fashion  in 
which  he  stumbled  through  the  thickets  and  amidst  the 
fern  conveyed  a  hint  of  exhaustion.  It  was,  however,  for- 
tunate that  a  twig  snapped  noisily  beneath  him,  because 
the  deer  are  difficult  to  see  in  their  sylvan  home,  and  the 
sound  was  answered  by  a  crackle  that  roused  him  to  eager 
attention. 

Alton,  knowing  there  was  a  big  fir  behind  him,  stood  very 
iftill,  glancing  about  him  without  a  movement  of  his  head, 
until  he  made  out  what  might  have  been  a  forked  twig 

189 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

rising  above  the  thicket.  He  did  not,  however,  think  it  was, 
and  gazing  more  intently  fancied  he  saw  a  patch  of  some- 
thing that  was  not  the  fern.  He  knew  that  at  the  first 
movement  it  would  be  gone,  and  there  was  no  time  for 
any  fine  alignment  of  the  sights  of  the  rifle,  so  leaning 
slightly  forward  he  drew  his  right  foot  back,  and  with  eyes 
fixed  steadily  on  the  little  patch  amidst  the  fern,  trusted  to 
them  and  the  balance  as  he  flung  the  long  barrel  up.  Few 
men  can  use  the  rifle  as  the  Canadian  bush  rancher  can, 
and  there  was  a  flash  from  the  muzzle  as  the  heelplate 
touched  his  shoulder.  Alton  had  not  glanced  along  the 
barrel,  but  the  curious  thud  which  he  heard  in  place  of  the 
explosion  told  him  that  the  heavy  bullet  was  smashing 
through  bone  and  muscle.  Then  thin  smoke  drifted  into 
his  eyes,  and  there  was  a  crackling  amidst  the  thicket. 

When  he  floundered  forward  the  deer  had  gone,  but  some- 
thing was  smashing  through  the  undergrowth  up  the  face 
of  the  hill,  and  the  weary  man  prepared  for  a  grim  effort  as 
he  saw  the  red  trail  it  left  behind.  He  fell  headlong  in  a 
thicket  where  the  splashes  were  warm  upon  the  withered 
leaves,  staggered  up  again,  and  presently  reeled  against  a 
cedar  on  the  crest  of  a  depression.  There  was  nothing 
visible,  but  he  could  hear  a  confused  rattle  and  snapping  of 
twigs,  and  shook  himself  as  he  remembered  the  speed  with 
which  even  a  badly-wounded  deer  can  make  downhill.  He 
had  his  choice  of  a  long  and  possibly  fruitless  chase  or 
another  supperless  night  that  would  be  followed  by  a  very 
scanty  breakfast  on  the  morrow.  Alton  did  not  care  to 
anticipate  what  might  happen  after  that,  because  he  had 
discovered  on  previous  occasions  that  green  tea  will  not 
unassisted  sustain  vigorous  animation  very  long. 

In  place  of  it  he  went  downhill,  falling  into  bushes, 
floundering  to  the  shoulders  through  withered  fern,  and  now 
and  then  stumbling  over  rotting  trees,  but  the  splashes 
grew  closer,  and  he  fancied  the  sound  before  him  a  little 
nearer.  It  was  significant  that  there  was  any  sound  at  all, 
because  a  deer  usually  clears  every  obstacle  in  its  almost 
silent  flight,  and  the  gasping  man  took  heart  again.  The 
quarry's  strength  was  evidently  failing  as  its  life  drained 
away,  but  darkness  was  also  close  at  hand,  and  Alton  knew 

190 


FOUL  PLAY 

that  he  coulcj  not  hold  out  very  long.  Already  there  was  a 
horrible  pain  in  his  left  side  and  his  sight  was  growing  dim. 

He  went  on,  stumbling,  gasping,  falling  now  and  then, 
for  any  man  not  accustomed  to  the  bush  in  that  country 
would  find  it  sufficiently  difficult  to  walk  through,  until 
once  more  a  grey  patch  of  something  shoVed  up  in  a 
thicket.  Again  the  rifle  flashed,  a  dim  shape  reeled  out  of 
the  bushes,  and,  while  the  man  savagely  smashed  through 
those  it  had  quitted,  plunged  into  another  thicket.  Alton, 
who  did  not  see  it  come  out  again,  also  went  in  head- 
long, tripped,  and  fell  upon  something  with  life  in  it  that 
struggled  spasmodically  beneath  him.  There  was  no  room 
to  use  his  rifle,  for  he  and  the  deer  were  rolling  amidst  the 
fern  together,  and  while  he  felt  for  its  throat  the  long  knife 
came  out.  Twice  it  sank  harmlessly  amidst  the  snow  and 
leaves,  and  tnen  there  was  a  gurgle,  and  the  man  rose 
stiffly  to  his  feet,  with  dripping  hands  and  something 
smoking  on  the  sleeve  of  his  jacket.  He  glanced  at  it 
without  disgust,  and  then  down  at  the  limp  shape,  which 
now  lay  very  still,  almost  compassionately. 

"  Well,"  he  said  simply,  "  it  was  you  or  me,  and  the 
wolves  would  have  had  you,  anyway." 

He  was  busy  amidst  the  bushes  for  some  time,  and  the 
light  had  gone  when  he  stood  up  with  the  deer  upon  his 
shoulders  and  the  rifle  beneath  it.  It  would  have  pleased 
him  better  to  carry  the  latter,  but  the  bushman  brings 
home  a  deer  with  its  fore-legs  drawn  over  his  shoulders  and 
grasped  in  front  of  him.  Alton  jerked  it  into  the  most 
convenient  position,  and  then  stopped  a  moment,  panting, 
and  glanced  about  him.  His  burden  was  not  especially 
heavy,  but  he  was  weary  and  his  camp  was  far  away,  while, 
though  a  half-moon  was  now  growing  into  brilliancy  above 
the  firs,  it  was  dark  below. 

"  I  figure  I'd  not  have  to  worry  quite  so  much  about  my 
supper  at  Carnaby,"  he  said,  and  laughed  a  little  as  he 
floundered  stiffly  up  the  hill. 

It  was  as  least  an  hour  later,  and  he  was  limping  on, 
encouraging  himself  with  the  expectation  of  resting  in 
warm  repletion  beside  the  snapping  fire,  when  he  entered 
a  denser  growth  of  timber.  Alton  had  like  most  of  his  kind 

191 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

been  taught  by  necessity  to  hold  the  weaknesses  of  his 
body  in  subjection,  but  he  was  a  man  with  the  instincts  of 
his  fellows,  and  the  thought  of  the  steaming  kettle,  smell 
of  roasting  meat,  glare  of  flickering  light,  and  snug  blankets 
appealed  to  him,  and  just  then  he  would  not  have  bartered 
the  blackened  can  of  smoke-tasted  tea  for  all  the  plate  and 
glass  of  Carnaby.  His  step  grew  a  little  steadier,  and  the 
sound  of  the  river  louder,  until  he  stopped  suddenly  near  a 
prostrate  fir.  There  was  a  gap  in  the  dusky  vault  above 
him  through  which  the  moon  shone  down  and  called  up  a 
sparkle  from  the  thin  scattering  of  snow.  Beyond  it  the 
dark  trunks  stretched  back,  a  stupendous  colonnade,  into 
the  shadow  again.  There  was  nothing  unusual  in  all  this, 
but  the  man  had  seen  something  that  made  him  check  his 
breathing  and  set  his  lips.  He  knew  he  might  be  mistaken, 
but  the  glint  he  had  caught  for  a  moment  suggested  the 
barrel  of  a  rifle. 

He  stood,  as  he  realized  instinctively,  in  the  shadow  with  a 
great  trunk  behind  him,  and  remained  so,  motionless,  with 
his  blood  tingling,  because  the  bushman  knows  the  difficulty 
of  catching  the  outline  of  anything  that  is  still.  Then 
there  was  a  soft  snapping,  and  the  glint  became  visible,  in 
another  place,  again,  while  Alton  saw  that  he  was  not  mis- 
taken. He  was  also  aware  that  the  free  prospector  does  not 
usually  wait  the  approach  of  a  stranger  in  silence  with  the 
rifle,  and  it  flashed  upon  him  that  as  the  other  man  had 
moved  there  would  in  place  of  a  shadowy  trunk  now  be  a 
patch  of  snow  behind  him.  Alton  regretted  he  had  waited 
so  long,  and  dropping  the  deer  sprang  backwards,  feeling 
for  the  sling  of  his  rifle. 

He  was,  however,  a  second  too  late,  for  there  was  a  thin 
red  flash  amidst  the  undergrowth,  and  he  reeled  with  a 
stinging  pain  somewhere  about  his  knee.  It  yielded  and 
grew  almost  useless  under  him,  and  while  his  rifle  fell  with 
a  rattle  he  lurched  into  a  thicket  of  withered  fern.  For  a 
moment  he  lay  still,  his  face  awry  with  pain,  and  groaned 
as  he  strove  to  draw  his  leg  up  beneath  him.  It  felt  numbed 
and  powerless,  and,  desisting,  he  strove  to  collect  his  scat- 
tered wits,  realizing  that  he  had  never  needed  them  more 
than  he  did  just  then. 

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FOUL  PLAY 

The  rifle  had  fallen  outside  the  thicket  where  the  forest 
was  more  open  and  there  was  a  sprinkling  of  snow,  and 
Alton  knew  that  an  attempt  to  recover  it  would  probably 
be  fatal.  He  was  equally  convinced  that  the  man  who  had 
shot  him  would  not  have  come  out  on  such  an  errand  with- 
out his  magazine  full,  or  leave  his  task  unfinished.  There 
was  in  the  meanwhile  no  sign  of  him  beyond  the  smoke 
that  hung  about  the  bushes,  and  Alton  turning  over  groaned 
again  more  loudly  as  he  felt  for  his  long-bladed  knife.  It 
was  not  done  without  a  purpose,  but  he  had  little  difficulty 
in  simulating  a  moan  of  pain,  and  when  he  heard  a  swish 
of  leaves,  lay  flat,  and  dragged  himself  very  softly  farther 
into  the  fern. 

The  wet  fronds  brushed  his  face,  and  here  and  there  his 
fingers  sank  into  a  patch  of  snow,  but  he  found  its  chilly 
touch  curiously  pleasant,  and  once  clawed  up  a  handful 
and  thrust  it  into  his  mouth.  A  numbness  was  creeping 
over  him,  his  head  felt  curiously  heavy,  but  he  was  schem- 
ing for  his  life  with  the  instinctive  cunning  of  a  wounded 
beast  rather  than  reason.  There  was  now  a  sound  behind 
him,  but  it  was  dulled  by  the  roar  of  the  river,  which  he 
realized  would  drown  the  faint  rustle  he  made,  and,  when 
the  fern  grew  scantier,  dragged  himself  across  an  opening 
and  crawled  in  amidst  the  raspberry  briars  on  the  other 
side. 

The  thorns  scarred  his  face  and  ripped  his  hands,  but  he 
moved  amidst  them  to  clear  space  for  his  arms,  and  then 
lay  still  with  the  big  knife  beneath  him.  A  shaft  of  moon- 
light shone  down  a  few  yards  away,  and  he  had  no  desire 
to  betray  his  hiding-place  by  the  glint  of  steel.  It  was  also 
possible  that  he  might  have  crawled  away  beyond  the  reach 
of  discovery  into  the  shadows,  but  that  was  not  his  inten- 
tion, for,  though  he  could  never  decide  afterwards  whether 
he  acted  from  instinct  or  reasoned  his  course  out,  he  was 
bent  on  waiting  for,  and  not  escaping  from,  his  pursuer. 
Nor  did  he  know  how  long  he  waited,  but  it  seemed  a  very 
long  while  before  he  saw  a  shadowy  object  move  round 
and  afterwards  into  the  opposite  side  of  the  thicket. 

Then  the  man's  face  became  visible  as  he  moved  across 
the  shaft  of  moonlight.  It  was  set  and  grey,  the  mouth 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

was  awry,  and  there  was  fear  in  the  staring  eyes.  It  also 
seemed  to  Alton  curiously  familiar,  but  his  brain  was 
scarcely  capable  of  receiving  many  diverse  impressions  just 
then,  and  he  only  realized  that  it  was  reluctantly  and  be- 
cause his  safety  demanded  it,  the  man  was  looking  for  him. 
Alton  felt  a  little  relief  at  that.  He  was  growing  colder, 
and  there  was  a  bewildering  dimness  in  his  eyes,  but  he 
stiffened  the  muscles  of  his  arms  and  tightened  his  grasp 
on  the  knife,  wondering  if  his  strength  would  last  until  he 
had  his  hands  upon  his  enemy. 

The  man  swayed  forward  as  he  crossed  the  strip  of 
moonlight  with  a  little  spring,  then  came  on  again  with 
both  hands  on  the  rifle,  waist-deep  in  the  fern,  glancing 
down  momentarily  at  the  trail  his  victim  had  made,  and 
then  about  him  again.  Alton's  face  was  drawn  up  into  a 
very  grim  smile  as  he  lay  amidst  the  raspberries  watching 
him,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  assassin  fancied  he  had 
crawled  straight  on.  The  latter  stopped  once  for  several 
seconds,  and  Alton  heard  his  heart  thumping  while  the 
sound  of  the  river  seemed  to  grow  bewildering.  He  stif- 
fened his  fingers  upon  the  knife-haft  savagely,  for  the  hor- 
rible faintness  he  could  not  shake  off  was  growing 
upon  him. 

Then  with  a  little  jerk  of  his  shoulders  the  man  who 
caught  sight  of  the  opening  moved  again,  faster  than  he 
had  done,  and  the  watcher  surmised  that  fear  and  sav- 
agery struggled  for  the  mastery  within  him.  The  latter  ap- 
parently rose  uppermost,  for  he  came  straight  on  through 
the  thicket,  sprang  across  the  clear  space,  and  would  have 
plunged  into  the  bush  beyond  it  but  that  Alton,  reaching 
out,  caught  him  by  the  ankle.  Then  he  lurched  forward 
with  a  hoarse  cry,  went  down,  and  rolled  over  with  Alton's 
hand  at  his  throat,  and  the  blade  of  the  knife  driven  through 
the  inner  side  of  the  sleeve  of  his  jacket. 

That  was  the  commencement  of  a  very  grim  struggle. 
The  stranger  was  wiry  and  vigorous,  but  the  terrible  hard 
ringers  clung  to  his  throat,  and  a  leg  was  wound  about  him, 
while  as  he  panted  and  smote  he  felt  something  was  ripping 
his  clothing.  Instinctively  he  jammed  the  hand  that  held 
it  down,  rolled  over  on  his  antagonist,  and  then  shook 

194 


WITH  ALTON'S   HAND  AT  HIS   THROAT. — Page  194. 


FOUL  PLAY 

himself  almost  free  again  half-choked,  as  something  that 
stung  it  sank  into  his  shoulder.  Next  moment  he  smote 
fiercely  at  a  dim  white  face,  knowing  that  a  bone  had  turned 
the  blade,  but  that  the  result  would  have  been  different 
had  it  entered  a  few  inches  lower.  \ 

His  fist  came  down  smashing,  but  the  terrible  fingers 
were  clinging  still,  and  the  man's  face  was  purple  when 
they  rolled  together  out  of  the  briars  and  into  the  widen- 
ing strip  of  radiance  where  the  moon  shone  down.  Alton's 
hand  was  free  now,  and  with  arm  bent  between  his  enemy 
and  the  ground  he  thrust  upwards  with  the  last  of  his 
strength.  There  was  a  crash,  the  man  writhed  backwards, 
the  rancher's  fingers  slipped  from  their  grasp,  and  a  figure 
that  rose  partly  upright  reeled  into  the  fern,  while  Alton 
felt  the  barrel  of  a  rifle  under  him.  He  rolled  on  his  side, 
and  clawed  for  it,  almost  sightless,  with  one  hand,  and 
laughed  harshly  as  he  raised  himself  a  trifle.  There  was  a 
flash  and  a  concussion,  the  trigger-guard  sank  into  his 
nerveless  finger,  and  a  smashing  amidst  the  undergrowth 
was  followed  by  footsteps  that  were  presently  lost  in  the 
roar  of  the  river. 

Alton  drew  one  knee  under  him,  and  listened  until  the 
sound  grew  altogether  bewildering  and  the  dim  trunks 
reeled  about  him.  Then  he  lurched  over  and  lay  where  he 
fell,  sensible  only  that  it  was  bitterly  cold.  It  was  still 
night  when  he  awakened  from  sleep  or  stupor,  but  the 
moon  shone  down  and  he  saw  that  there  was  white  frost 
on  the  fern.  His  hands  were  also  stiffened,  and  there  was  a 
horrible  ache  in  every  limb,  while  he  groaned  as  the  cold 
struck  through  him.  Twice  he  essayed  to  raise  himself 
and  fell  back  again,  but  at  last  by  an  effort  crawled  towards 
a  tree  and  leaned  his  back  against  it  while  he  stretched  out 
one  numbed  and  useless  limb  into  the  silver  light.  The 
long  boots  were  curiously  smeared,  the  overalls  above  them 
stiffened  and  crusted,  while  following  the  movement  he 
made  there  was  a  swift  spreading  of  the  stain. 

Alton  shivered  and  set  his  lips  as  he  groped  for  his  hand- 
kerchief, then  groaning  the  while  dragged  at  it  until  it 
was  knotted  above  his  knee.  After  that  he  laid  his  finger 
on  the  overalls  and  saw  that  the  stain  spread  past  it  more 

195 


slowly.  Then  he  felt  for  the  matches  in  one  pocket,  and 
finding  them,  turned  over  cautiously  and  dragged  himself 
towards  a  fallen  fir.  He  knew  where  to  find  the  resin,  and 
tore  at  the  smaller  branches  fiercely,  flung  them  together, 
and  striking  a  match,  watched  the  flame  that  spread  from 
splinter  to  splinter  and  crawled  amidst  the  twigs.  At  last 
it  sprang  aloft  in  a  great  crackling  blaze,  and  Alton  swayed 
unevenly  and  fell  over  on  his  side  again.  After  that  he 
remembered  nothing  until  he  saw  that  the  sun  was  in  the 
sky,  and  dragged  himself  to  the  thicket  for  an  armful  of 
frosted  fern.  When  he  had  piled  it  on  the  fire  a  gauzy 
blue  column  that  rose  straight  between  the  firs  replaced  the 
flame,  and  the  man  who  watched  it  vacantly  for  a  while 
dragged  himself  back  groaning  for  another  armful  of  the 
fern. 

He  afterwards  fancied  that  he  spent  most  of  the  day 
crawling  between  the  fire  and  the  thicket,  but  was  never 
very  sure  of  anything  he  did  just  then.  Nor  did  he  feel 
hungry,  though  now  and  then  he  clawed  up  and  sucked  a 
handful  of  snow,  but  he  remembered  that  he  was  lying  in 
the  smoke  when  the  bush  grew  dimmer  and  the  red  blaze 
more  brilliant  as  darkness  crept  down.  Presently  he  fan- 
cied that  something  broke  through  the  monotone  of  the 
river,  and  after  listening  to  it  vacantly  groped  for  the  rifle. 
He  clutched  it,  and  raising  himself  a  trifle  with  difficulty, 
blinked  at  the  darkness  that  hemmed  in  the  fire  until  foot- 
steps came  out  of  it.  They  were  not  furtive,  but  apparently 
those  of  somebody  coming  straight  towards  the  light  in 
haste.  Alton  smiled  curiously,  and  wriggled  until  he  was 
out  of  the  strongest  light,  and  found  support  for  the  barrel 
of  the  rifle.  Then  a  cry  came  out  of  the  shadows,  "  Is  it 
you,  Harry  ?  " 

Alton  did  not  answer,  for  his  voice  seemed  to  fail  him, 
and  he  blinked  at  the  man  who  bent  over  him. 

"  You  have  been  a  long  while,  Charley,  and  I  came  very 
near  putting  a  bullet  into  you  just  now,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Seaforth,  "  I  did  my  best,  and  Tom's  com- 
ing along  behind  me.  What  are  you  doing  here  anyway  ?  " 

Alton  glanced  at  him  bewilderedly.  "  I  don't  quite  know, 
but  I  got  the  deer.  It's  somewhere  around  here,"  said  he. 

196 


FOUL  PLAY 

Seaforth's  face  grew  suddenly  grave  as  he  stopped  and 
shook  his  comrade,  then  let  his  hand  drop  as  he  saw  a  red 
trickle  spreading  across  the  crusted  overalls. 

"  Good  Lord !  Are  you  hurt,  Harry,  and  what's  all 
this?"  he  said.  , 

Alton  glanced  up  at  him  with  dimming  eyes.  "  The 
thing's  broken  out  again.  I  think  it's  blood,"  he  said,  and 
while  his  arm  slipped  from  under  him,  slowly  rolled  over 
with  his  feet  in  the  smoking  fern. 


197 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE  NICKED  BULLET 

THE  grey  daylight  was  creeping  into  the  little  tent  and 
Alton  sleeping  at  last  when  Seaforth  rose  to  his  feet.  His 
eyes  were  heavy  with  the  long  night's  watch  which  had 
followed  a  twelve  hours'  march,  and  he  shivered  as  he  went 
out.  The  morning  was  bitterly  cold,  and  a  fire  burned 
redly  outside  the  tent,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  Okanagan, 
who  had  joined  him  during  the  night,  nor  had  any  prepara- 
tions for  breakfast  been  made. 

"  Tom,"  he  twice  called  softly,  but  only  the  moaning  of 
the  branches  overhead  answered  him,  and  with  a  little  ges- 
ture of  impatience  he  strode  into  the  bush. 

Seaforth  had  no  definite  purpose,  but  he  was  glad  to 
stretch  his  stiffened  limbs,  and  instinctively  turned  towards 
the  spot  where  he  had  found  his  comrade.  As  he  ap- 
proached it  he  stopped,  and  watched  the  dim  moving  object 
that  caught  his  eyes  with  some  bewilderment.  Tom  of 
Okanagan  was  kneeling  beside  a  thicket  with  a  stick  in  his 
hand,  and  apparently  holding  it  carefully  in  line  with  a  fir. 
After  moving  once  or  twice  he  drove  it  into  the  soil,  and 
crawled  on  hands  and  knees  into  the  fern  so  that  Seaforth 
could  only  see  his  boots,  and  surmise  by  the  rustling  that 
he  was  groping  amidst  the  withered  fronds.  Once  he 
caught  a  muffled  expletive,  after  which  the  rustling  ceased 
awhile,  but  it  commenced  again,  and  Seaforth  wondered  the 
more  when  Okanagan  crawled  out  of  the  opposite  side  of 
the  thicket,  and  set  up  a  second  stick  in  line  with  the  other. 
He  had  not  the  faintest  notion  of  what  his  companion  could 
be  doing. 

"Are  you  finding  anything  down  there,  Tom?"  he  said. 
Okanagan  rose  up  with  a  little  grim  laugh.  "  Thorns,"  he 
said.  "  There's  a  condemned  big  one  in  my  thumb." 

198 


THE   NICKED   BULLET 

Seaforth  stared  at  him  with  a  vague  suspicion  that  the 
hardships  of  the  forced  march  they  had  made  had  left  their 
mark  upon  his  comrade,  though  he  had  never  noticed  any 
signs  of  mental  weakness  in  the  big  axeman  before. 

"  Aren't  there  plenty  to  be  picked  up  in  ithis  country 
without  looking  for  them  ?  "  he  said. 

Okanagan  glanced  at  him  with  a  little  twinkle  which 
was  not  altogether  mirthful  in  his  eyes.  "Oh,  yes.  More 
than  I've  any  use  for.  You  were  trying  to  figure  on  what 
I  was  after?  The  thing's  quite  as  easy  as  trailing  a  deer." 

"  I  was,"  said  Seaforth  dryly,  and  Okanagan  approaching 
him  dropped  a  big  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Come  right  along,  and  I'll  show  you,"  said  he. 

Seaforth  followed  him,  until  he  stopped  by  the  fir  he 
had  worked  his  alignment  from,  where  he  picked  up  a  spent 
cartridge  and  pointed  to  a  mark  in  the  snow. 

"  Nothing  particular  about  that,  anyway,  a  forty-four 
Winchester,"  he  said.  "  The  fellow  had  long  boots  on  with 
one  heel  down,  and  he  stood  right  here  waiting  for  Harry. 
Harry  was  coming  along  yonder  with  the  deer,  forty  yards 
I  make  it,  and  he  jumped  when  the  fellow  started  shooting." 

"  You  think  he  did  ?  "  said  Seaforth,  slightly  bewildered, 
and  Okanagan  laughed. 

"  No,  sir,  I'm  sure,"  he  said.  "  I  could  show  you  where 
his  heels  went  in  if  it  would  do  you  any  good.  Harry 
was  coming  along  quick  as  he  could,  thinking  about  his 
supper,  and  the  other  fellow  was  crouching  here,  clawing 
his  rifle  and  waiting  until  he  came  into  the  moonlight." 

The  blood  surged  into  Seaforth's  forehead,  and  he 
clenched  one  hand.  "  The  condemned  villain !  It  was  dev- 
ilish," he  said. 

Okanagan  nodded  gravely,  and  his  rugged  face  was  stern. 

"  Oh,  yes,  but,  slinging  names  at  him's  not  much  use," 
he  said.  "  Well,  I  feel  it  in  me  that  we're  going  to  see 
more  of  that  man  by  and  by,  and  that's  just  why  I'm  work- 
ing up  the  whole  thing  from  the  beginning.  Now  I'll  show 
you  some  more  of  it." 

They  floundered  through  one  or  two  thickets  until  Okana- 
gan stopped  again,  and  pointed  to  the  red  smear  upon 
the  fern  and  withered  pine-needles.  "  That's  where  Harry 

199 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

lay  and  waited  for  him,"  he  said.  "  He  was  bleeding  pretty 
bad,  but  he  knew  the  other  fellow  meant  to  finish  him." 

"  Waited  for  him  when  he  was  almost  helpless  and  the 
man  meant  to  murder  him  ?  "  said  Seaforth,  with  cold  rage 
and  horror  in  his  face. 

Okanagan  laughed  a  little  almost  silent  laugh  that  had 
a  very  grim  undertone  in  it.  "  Yes,  sir.  That's  just  what 
he  did.  Don't  you  know  Harry  yet  ?  "  he  said.  "  Still,  he 
didn't  figure  that  all  the  killing  would  be  done  by  the  other 
man.  See  here,  this  is  where  he  gripped  him,  and  tried  to 
get  the  knife  in.  They  fell  over  together  there.  Harry 
was  played  out  and  bleeding  hard,  or  that  man  would  never 
have  got  away  when  he  once  had  his  hands  on  him." 

Seaforth  stared  at  the  rent-down  undergrowth,  and  had 
no  great  difficulty  in  reconstructing  the  scene.  Smashed 
fern  and  scattered  leaves  as  wel)  as  the  red  smears  on  the 
snow  bore  plain  testimony  to  the  fierceness  of  that  struggle, 
and  he  pictured  his  comrade  grappling  with  his  adversary 
while  his  strength  flowed  from  him  with  that  horrible  red 
trickle.  The  light  that  came  down  between  towering  trunks 
showed  that  his  face  was  grey  and  stern,  and  Okanagan, 
who  looked  at  him,  nodded  as  it  were  approvingly. 

"  I've  seen  enough,"  said  the  former.  "  If  I  can  find 
that  man  he  will  not  get  away  from  me." 

"  Well,"  said  Okanagan  simply,  "  we're  short  of  the  bullet 
now,  and  I'll  know  better  what  to  do  with  Harry  when  we 
find  it.  It's  low  down  in  one  of  those  cedars  yonder." 

"  It  will  be  deep  in  at  that  range,"  said  Seaforth. 

"  No,"  said  Okanagan  quietly.  "  I  don't  think  it  will. 
It's  pretty  plain  from  the  hole  it  made  that  it  wasn't  a 
common  bullet,  and  I'm  kind  of  anxious  to  know  if  all  of 
it  came  out  again." 

Seaforth  shivered  a  little  as  he  assisted  in  the  search,  and 
his  lips  were  set  when  Okanagan,  digging  something  out  of 
the  cedar-bark  with  his  knife,  laid  it  in  his  palm.  It  was  a 
little  piece  of  blackened  lead  that  was  ragged  in  place  of 
round,  as  though  the  soft  metal  had  been  rent  open  and 
bent  backwards.  Then  the  two  men  looked  at  each  other, 
and  the  hot  fury  that  for  a  moment  flushed  Seaforth  to  the 
temples,  passed  and  left  him  with  a  curious  vindictive  cold- 

200 


THE   NICKED   BULLET 

ness  and  a  faint  shrinking  from  the  touch  of  the  murderous 
lead.  Okanagan's  eyes  were  very  steady,  but  there  was  a 
little  glow  down  at  the  back  of  them. 

"  Nicked  across  with  a  hack  saw  or  a  file — and  it's  not 
all  here,"  he  said.  "  It  strikes  me  the  sooner  we  find  the 
rest  of  it  the  better  this  weather."  ' 

Seaforth  drew  in  his  breath.  A  strip  of  lead  torn  off 
that  bullet  was  rankling  in  his  comrade's  flesh,  and  during 
the  night  bitter  frost  had  laid  its  grip  upon  the  forest. 
Wounds,  he  knew,  do  not  heal,  but  fester  under  such  con- 
ditions. 

"  You  can  do  it,  Tom ! "  he  said,  and  his  voice  was 
hoarse. 

"  I'll  try — when  he  wakes,"  said  Okanagan.  "  You'll  find 
some  flat  stones  by  the  river.  I  want  one  with  an  open 
grit  that  you  could  grind  a  knife  down  with." 

It  was  long  before  Alton  awakened,  and  then  it  became 
evident  that  he  was  not  wholly  sensible.  Loss  of  blood, 
over-fatigue,  exposure  and  hunger  had  left  their  mark  on 
him,  and  while  he  rambled  disjointedly  a  bitter  wind  sprang 
up.  It  raged  down  the  valley,  bringing  with  it  the  cold  of 
the  Pole,  and  while  the  pines  raised  their  wild  voices,  the 
water  congealed  in  the  kettle,  and  in  spite  of  the  great  fire 
built  outside  it  the  tent  grew  icy.  At  noon  Tom  of  Okana- 
gan glanced  at  his  patient  and  shook  his  head,  while  Sea- 
forth felt  his  misgivings  confirmed  as  he  saw  his  face. 

"  I  guess  we've  got  to  wait  for  to-morrow.  There'll  be 
snow  to-night,"  he  said. 

It  was  a  long  day  to  Seaforth.  Alton  moved  restlessly 
in  his  sleep,  or  talked  and  laughed  meaninglessly  during 
most  of  it,  while  when  his  eyes  closed  Tom,  who  sat  in  a 
corner,  laid  the  stone  upon  his  lap  and  ground  at  his  knife. 
He  had  already  rubbed  the  blade  down  to  half  its  width, 
but  was  apparently  not  contented,  and  Seaforth  felt  colder 
and  set  his  lips  each  time  the  harsh  grating  of  steel  broke 
through  the  roaring  of  the  pines  that  swelled  in  volume 
as  the  wind  increased.  It  was  seldom  that  either  of  them 
spoke,  though  the  big  axeman's  face  would  soften  momen- 
tarily when  Alton  moaned  a  little  in  his  sleep.  Then  it 
grew  sombre  and  impassive  again  save  for  the  little  gleam 

20 1 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

in  the  eyes,  and  Seaforth  guessed  what  was  in  his  com- 
panion's thoughts  as  the  hard,  gnarled  fingers  tightened 
viciously  on  the  steel. 

Somehow  the  day  wore  through,  and  the  snow  came  with 
the  night.  It  beat  upon  the  canvas  and  fell  hissing  in  the 
fire,  which  snapped  and  crackled  the  more  fiercely,  while 
acrid  vapour  crept  into  the  tent,  and  now  and  then  one  of 
the  men's  eyes  would  close  a  moment.  Seaforth  had  in- 
deed roused  himself  several  times  with  a  jerk  when  Okana- 
gan  pointed  to  the  roll  of  blankets  and  layer  of  springy  twigs, 
and  he  saw  that  at  last  Alton  was  sleeping  restfully.  Five 
minutes  later  the  roar  of  the  branches  seemed  to  sink  into 
a  musical  lullaby,  and  the  last  thing  he  saw  was  the  big, 
impassive  bushman  sitting  as  still  as  the  motionless  figure 
beneath  him  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tent.  Then  he  was 
wafted  back  to  England  on  the  wings  of  dreams. 

It  was  broad  daylight  and  warmer  when  he  awakened. 
Outside  the  fire  crackled  noisily,  and  the  great  pines  rose 
spires  of  sombre  green  against  a  field  of  white.  Alton  was 
also  awake,  and  smiled  at  him,  while  Tom,  who  stood  behind 
him,  made  a  sign. 

"  It  has  got  to  be  done  right  now  before  the  frost  comes 
back,  but  we're  not  going  to  hurt  you,  Harry,"  he  said. 
"  You'll  walk  down  to  the  river  and  fill  that  kettle  up, 
Charley." 

Seaforth  wondered  a  little,  because  the  snow  lay  a  foot 
deep  in  the  bush  and  he  could  have  filled  the  kettle  beside 
the  fire,  but  he  floundered  down  to  the  river  and  felt  a  little 
more  prepared  to  face  what  must  be  done  when  he  re- 
turned. When  he  did  so  he  found  that  Tom  had  rolled 
back  Alton's  jean  trousers  to  the  knee,  and  saw  a  red  smear 
that  broadened  across  the  brawny  limb.  It  pulsed  over 
the  swell  of  the  corded  muscles  that  showed  through  the 
clear,  smooth  skin,  and  then  Seaforth  shivered  and  turned 
his  eyes  away  as  they  fell  upon  the  welling  depression  with 
the  discoloured  edges.  Alton  noticed  the  movement,  and 
glanced  at  him  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes.  "  It  isn't  pretty, 
but  I  don't  think  Tom  will  keep  us  long,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  felt  the  blood  surge  into  his  face,  for  it  seemed 
most  unfitting  that  the  wounded  man  should  sympathize 

202 


THE   NICKED   BULLET 

with  him,  but  finding  nothing  apposite  to  say  he  kept  silent, 
and  Okanagan  shook  his  head  at  them. 

"  Get  hold  of  his  hands,  and  keep  hold.  The  quieter  you 
are,  Harry,  the  quicker  I'll  be,"  he  said. 

Alton  smiled  a  little.  "  I  don't  think  it's  necessary,"  he 
said.  "  Still,  if  it  will  please  you,  Tom." 

Seaforth  clutched  the  fingers  held  out  to  him,  and  felt 
suddenly  chilly.  He  would  have  touched  his  lips  with  his 
tongue,  for  the  blood  seemed  to  have  gone  out  of  them,  but 
that  he  felt  Alton's  eyes  were  upon  him.  Accordingly  he 
turned  his  face,  which  he  fancied  was  growing  a  trifle 
colourless,  aside,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  watched  Okana- 
gan, who  was  kneeling  with  one  hand  pressed  upon  the 
smeared  whiteness  of  the  uncovered  limb.  Seaforth  could 
hear  his  own  heart  beating  and  the  thud  of  snow  shaken 
off  a  swinging  branch  upon  the  tent,  and  see  the  light 
the  whiteness  outside  flung  in  glint  upon  the  slender  knife. 
He  saw  it  move  a  little,  and  sternly  repressed  a  shiver  when 
the  lean,  hard  fingers  closed  suddenly  upon  his  own.  A 
tremor  ran  through  them,  and  then  the  pressure  increased, 
until  Seaforth  was  glad  that  it  grew  painful.  He  dare 
not  glance  at  his  comrade,  he  would  not  look  at  Tom,  and 
sat  very  still  in  torment  for  a  space,  while  he  felt  that  Alton's 
arms  had  grown  rigid  by  the  cruel  grip  upon  his  hands. 

Then  the  tension  slackened,  and  the  injured  man  drew 
in  his  breath  with  a  gasp,  while  Okanagan  rose  to  one  knee 
with  great  drops  of  sweat  upon  his  face. 

"  You  got  it  ?  "  said  Alton  in  a  low,  strained  voice,  and 
nodded  when  the  axeman  answered  him. 

"  No,"  he  said,  a  trifle  huskily.  "  I'm  going  to  try  again. 
Lift  him  over  on  his  side,  Charley." 

Seaforth  trembled  a  little  as  he  did  it,  and  glanced  for 
just  a  moment  at  his  comrade's  face.  It  was  set  and  grey, 
but  it  went  suddenly  awry  into  the  grotesque  semblance  of 
a  smile. 

"  Tom  never  was  in  a  hurry.    It's  rough  on  you,"  he  said. 

Still,  Seaforth,  who  had  once  held  his  own  with  men 
and  women  in  quick  retort  and  graceful  badinage  in  Eng- 
land, did  not  answer,  but  only  pressed  the  hard  fingers  that 
now  lay  somewhat  limply  in  his  palm  and  wondered  vaguely 

203 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

whether  the  ordeal  would  never  be  over.  It  was  only  then 
he  realized  to  the  full  all  that  Alton  had  been  to  him  since 
the  day  he  limped,  ragged  and  very  hungry,  into  a  little 
mining  camp.  His  friends  in  the  old  country  had  turned 
their  backs  on  him,  and  Seaforth,  who  had  been  hopeless  and 
desperate  then,  knew  that  he  owed  a  good  deal  more  than 
material  prosperity  to  Alton  of  Somasco. 

"  Tom,"  he  said  hoarsely,  "  I  think  we're  ready.0 

Okanagan  said  nothing,  but  stooped  again,  and  Seaforth 
tightening  his  grasp  of  the  contracting  fingers,  heard  the 
sound  of  uneven  breathing  through  the  thud  of  snow  upon 
the  tent.  He  was  by  this  time  a  little  more  master  of 
himself,  and  looked  steadily  down  on  the  white  face  with 
the  grimly-set  lips.  His  own  was  distorted  into  what  was 
not  a  sympathetic  smile,  but  a  grotesque  grin,  and  there 
was  every  now  and  then  a  reflection  of  it  in  the  one  awry 
with  pain  which  looked  up  at  him.  Then  Alton  drew  in 
his  breath  with  a  little  quivering  sigh,  and  there  was  a 
rattle  as  Okanagan  dropped  the  steel. 

"  I  want  that  bandage — quick.  We  are  through  now," 
he  said. 

Seaforth  had  afterwards  a  hazy  recollection  of  helping 
him  to  twist  the  strip  of  fabric  about  the  firm  white  flesh, 
and  that  his  hands  made  red  smears  on  Alton's  deerskin 
jacket  when  he  stooped  and  lifted  him  a  little.  There  was 
no  bronze  in  his  comrade's  face,  but  in  place  of  it  a  curious 
yellow  tinge,  through  which  the  greyness  showed  in  patches, 
and  with  fingers  that  were  strangely  clumsy  he  held  a  flask 
to  Alton's  lips. 

The  latter  choked,  and  then  his  eyes  opened  wide  again. 
"  Pass  it  round.  I'm  figuring  you're  all  wanting  some,"  he 
said. 

Seaforth  to  humour  him  touched  the  flask  with  his  lips, 
and  handed  it  to  Tom,  who  did  the  same,  and  then  screwing 
the  top  on  it  passed  it  back  to  Seaforth  no  emptier  than 
when  it  reached  him.  Alton,  however,  raised  his  head  a 
trifle  further,  and  looked  at  both  of  them. 

"  You'll  have  to  do  it  better.  Let  me  see  the  thing,"  he 
said. 

Okanagan  glanced  at  him  severely.    "  I  guess  you'll  lie 

204 


THE  NICKED  BULLET 

right  where  you  are  and  keep  very  still,  or  I'll  make  a  hole 
through  the  other  leg,"  he  said. 

Alton  appeared  to  chuckle,  but  his  arm  slipped  from 
under  him,  and  he  dropped  back  heavily  amidst  the  blankets 
with  eyes  closed  while  Seaforth  bent  over  him. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Okanagan.  "  You  needn't  worry. 
I  was  kind  of  hoping  he  would  do  it  because  I  was  anxious 
about  the  bleeding.  Now  we'll  get  everything  fixed  up  be- 
fore he  comes  round  again." 

Seaforth  did  what  he  was  bidden,  and  nothing  more,  for 
he  had  been  reared  in  England,  and  not  amidst  the  firs  and 
snows  of  Northern  Canada  where  misadventures  are  many 
and  doctors  very  few,  but  he  envied  the  big  bushman  his 
skill  that  day,  and  Okanagan  may  have  guessed  it,  for  he 
once  smiled  a  little  as  he  said : 

"  There  are  lots  of  things  I  can't  do,  and  it's  not  your 
fault  that  you  were  raised  back  in  the  old  country,  where 
you  have  other  folks  to  put  the  patches  on  to  you." 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  "  Still,  he  is  my  partner, 
you  see.  Now  I  want  to  know  what  we  are  going  to  do 
with  him." 

Okanagan's  smile  was  just  perceptible  as  he  held  up  a 
ragged  piece  of  lead,  but  Seaforth  saw  that  he  understood 
all  the  speech  implied,  though  he  made  no  reference  to  it. 

"  There's  half  the  trouble  gone,"  he  said.  "  The  rest  of  it 
went  straight  through  the  bone,  and  I  kind  of  fancy  smashed 
it  up  considerable." 

"Will  the  pieces  knit  as  they  were  before?"  said  Sea- 
forth very  anxiously,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  Okanagan 
did  not  answer  him. 

"  That,"  he  said  very  slowly,  "  is  what  I  don't  quite  know. 
One  of  them  bones  is  a  rocker,  and  she  swings  on  the  other. 
That  one's  cut,  but  I  don't  think  it's  smashed  right  through. 
Now  if  it  goes  as  well  as  the  other,  it's  quite  possible  Harry 
will  limp  ever  after." 

Seaforth  stood  up  with  a  little  shiver.  "  Good  Lord. 
Harry  of  all  men  a  cripple!  Tom,  you  must  do  some- 
thing." 

Okanagan  slowly  shook  his  head.  "  I've  done  my  best 
now,"  he  said.  "  We  can  get  him  down  to  Somasco  and  a 

205 


ALTON   OK  SOMASCO 

live  doctor  up  from  Vancouver  as  soon  as  we  can,  and  that's 
about  all.  There's  no  time  to  lose.  We'll  start  to-morrow." 
Seaforth  cast  one  glance  at  the  still  figure  and  grey  face 
amidst  the  blankets,  and  then  clenched  his  hands  as  he 
blundered  out  of  the  tent.  A  white  flake  fell  upon  his  face, 
another  on  his  hands,  and  he  shivered  again  as  he  glanced 
at  the  forest.  It  was  very  evident  that  much  depended 
upon  their  speed,  and  down  between  the  sombre  pines  came 
the  sliding  snow. 


206 


CHAPTER   XXI  / 

OKANAGAN'S  ROAD 

THE  great  cedar-boughs  above  the  river  bent  beneath 
their  load,  and  the  scanty  light  was  dimmed  by  sliding 
snow,  when  Seaforth  and  his  comrade  stood  panting  and 
white  all  over  by  the  last  portage.  Okanagan  by  dint  of 
laborious  searching  had  found  the  canoe  jammed  between 
two  boulders  with  her  side  crushed  in,  and  had  spent  a  day 
repairing  her  with  a  flattened  out  meat-can  and  strips  of 
deerskin.  The  craft  had  notwithstanding  this  leaked  con- 
siderably, but  they  made  shift  to  descend  the  river  in  her, 
and  now  if  they  could  accomplish  the  last  big  portage 
hoped  by  toiling  strenuously  to  make  the  mouth  of  the 
canon  by  nightfall. 

What  they  would  do  when  they  reached  it  neither  of 
them  knew,  but  they  were  too  cold  and  jaded  to  concern 
themselves  with  more  than  the  question  how  they  were  to 
convey  their  comrade  over  the  boulders  and  through  the 
thickets  which  divided  them  from  the  next  stretch  of  com- 
paratively untroubled  water  just  then.  They  had  spent 
most  of  the  day  dragging  the  canoe  round  the  rapid  which 
roared  down  the  hollow  in  a  wild  tumult  of  froth,  lifting 
her  with  levers  from  rock  to  rock,  and  now  and  then  sliding 
with  her  down  a  declivity,  but  that  was  a  mode  of  progres- 
sion clearly  unsuited  to  an  injured  man. 

Alton  lay  in  the  snow  beneath  a  boulder  that  but  indif- 
ferently sheltered  him,  and  there  was  a  little  grim  smile  in 
his  face  as  he  looked  up  at  his  companions. 

"  Isn't  it  time  you  got  hold  of  me?  We  can't  stop  here 
all  day,"  he  said. 

Okanagan  turned,  and  stared  sombrely  at  the  wall  of 
rock  which  dropped  to  the  river  close  behind  him,  and  the 
strip  of  boulders  and  great  fallen  fragments  amidst  which 
the  undergrowth  crept  in  and  out  between. 

207 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  There's  a  gully  yonder,  but  if  we  worked  back  round 
the  hillside  I  don't  quite  see  how  we're  coming  down,"  he 
said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton  dryly.  "  I'm  not  good  at  flying.  Well, 
you  had  better  start  in  and  carry  me." 

Seaforth  stooped  and  grasped  his  comrade  round  the 
thighs,  which  were  lashed  together  with  deerhide  with  a 
stiff  strip  of  cedar-bark  outside  them.  Okanagan  passed 
his  arms  about  his  shoulders,  and  they  rose  with  a  jerk  and 
stood  swaying  unevenly  for  a  moment,  while  Seaforth  won- 
dered with  a  curious  feeling  of  helplessness  whether  they 
would  ever  accomplish  the  journey  to  the  canoe.  It  would 
have  tested  the  agility  of  an  unencumbered  man,  while  he 
was  almost  worn  out,  and  Alton  cruelly  heavy. 

"  Heave  him  up  a  trifle,"  said  Okanagan.    "  Now  then !  " 

Seaforth  gasped,  and  floundered  forward  through  a  foot 
of  snow  that  hid  the  holes  he  sank  into  and  slipped  away 
beneath  him  as  he  clawed  for  a  footing  on  the  boulders,  but 
with  strenuous  toil  they  made  a  hundred  yards  or  so,  and 
then  laying  down  their  burden  stood  still,  panting.  Alton 
lay  silent,  with  half-closed  eyes  and  the  soft  flakes  settling 
on  his  grey  face,  in  the  snow,  while  Seaforth  gazed  about 
him  despairingly.  There  was  rock  and  shadowy  forest 
behind  them,  and  in  front  the  smoking  rush  of  the 
river,  while  though  it  was  but  afternoon  the  light  was 
failing. 

"  Get  hold  again,  Tom.  It's  not  good  to  wait  here,"  he 
said  with  a  shiver. 

This  time  with  infinite  difficulty  they  made  fifty  yards, 
and  Alton's  face  showed  what  his  silence  had  cost  him  when 
they  set  him  down  again.  Seaforth  stooped  and  drew  the 
blanket  about  him  with  a  great  gentleness. 

"  We  did  our  best.  I'd  change  places  with  you,  Harry, 
if  I  could,"  he  said. 

Alton  smiled  a  little,  but  said  nothing,  and  in  five  min- 
utes they  went  on  again,  Seaforth  gasping  from  exhaustion, 
with  a  horrible  pain  in  his  side  and  his  feet  slipping  from 
under  him  as  they  struggled  up  a  sloping  face  of  rock,  but 
they  had  won  forty  yards  when  Tom  went  down  and  Alton,, 
who  fell  heavily  upon  him,  rolled  over.  Seaforth  held  his 

208 


OKANAGAN'S  ROAD 

breath  a  moment  until  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  injured 
man. 

"  I  wouldn't  worry  about  my  head.  It  would  take  an 
axe  to  hurt  me  there,"  he  said.  "  Look  at  the  lashings." 

The  lashings,  however,  had  not  slackened,  the  cedar-bark 
was  intact,  and  once  more  they  took  up  their  burden,  while 
Seaforth  could  not  remember  how  often  they  had  rested 
when  at  last  they  came  out  upon  a  smooth  strip  of  sloping 
rock  close  to  the  last  of  the  portage.  He  was  dragging  a 
clogging  weight  of  snow  with  him,  and  the  white  flakes 
were  in  his  eyes,  while  now  and  then  his  breath  failed  him 
and  he  heard  Okanagan  growling  hoarse  and  half-articulate 
expletives. 

"  You  have  got  to  hold  out,  Charley.  There's  the  canoe 
below  you,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  braced  himself  for  a  last  effort,  and  was  never 
sure  whether  he  or  Okanagan  stumbled  first,  but  his  feet 
slipped  from  under  him  and  he  fell  upon  Alton  as  Tom 
went  down.  Then  the  three  slid  together  down  the  slope 
of  rock,  and  fell  heavily  over  the  edge  of  it.  Seaforth  was 
partly  dazed  when  Okanagan  dragged  him  to  his  feet,  but, 
he  could  see  that  Alton  lay  very  still  with  his  face  awry 
and  that  there  was  consternation  in  the  eyes  of  his 
comrade. 

"  Have  we  hurt  you,  Harry?  "  he  said  hoarsely. 

Alton  groaned  a  little,  and  his  lips  moved  once  or  twice 
before  Seaforth  caught  any  audible  answer. 

"  I  don't  know  that  you  did  it,  but  I  think  that  bone  has 
gone,"  he  said. 

Okanagan,  saying  nothing,  dropped  on  hands  and  knees, 
and  while  Alton  groaned  drew  the  bands  tighter  about  the 
shattered  cedar-bark.  Then  he  rose  up  and  looked  at 
Seaforth,  and  the  two  stood  silent  for  almost  a  minute  with 
the  snow  whirling  about  them.  There  was  something  very 
like  despair  in  Seaforth's  eyes,  and  at  last  his  comrade 
solemnly  shook  his  fist  at  the  forest. 

"  We  have  got  to  get  him  home  straight  off,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  did  not  ask  how  it  was  to  be  done  when  they 
had  the  range  to  cross,  but  as  one  dreaming  laid  hold  of 
his  comrade  again,  and  floundered  towards  the  canoe,  which 

209 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

lay  close  by  them  now.  He  was  still  partly  dazed  when 
he  took  up  the  paddle  and  dimly  saw  the  white  pines  sliding 
past  through  a  haze  of  snow.  Nor  did  he  remember 
whether  he  or  Okanagan  set  the  tent  up  when  they  reached 
the  island  near  the  canon,  but  he  was  sitting  inside  it 
holding  out  a  smoking  can  of  tea  to  Alton  when  some  time 
after  darkness  had  closed  down  Tom  came  in.  The  snow 
had  ceased  in  the  meanwhile  and  a  biting  frost  descended 
upon  the  valley  through  which  the  roar  of  the  canon  pulsed 
in  long  reverberations.  Okanagan  dropped  the  rifle  he 
carried. 

"  I  might  have  left  the  thing.  The  horse  is  dead,"  he  said. 

"  Dead?  "  said  Seaforth  vacantly. 

Okanagan  nodded.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  Somebody  has 
saved  me  the  trouble.  Two  bullets  in  him." 

Seaforth  was  almost  past  anger  now,  but  the  tea  splashed 
from  the  can  he  still  held  as  he  realized  the  thoroughness 
of  the  work  of  their  enemy. 

"  Then  how  are  you  going  to  pack  Harry  and  the  other 
things  over  the  range  ?  "  he  said. 

Okanagan's  face  was  almost  expressionless.  "  We're  not 
going  to.  It  can't  be  done." 

Seaforth  said  nothing.  The  last  fall  had  shaken  him 
severely,  and  he  had  realized  since  they  started  that  the 
task  before  them  was  almost  beyond  the  power  of  any  two 
men,  but  had  refused  to  contemplate  what  must  happen  if 
they  failed  in  it.  Now  he  could  see  that  it  was  impossible, 
but  dazed  with  utter  weariness  as  he  was  he  could  not 
think  consecutively,  and  only  felt  a  numbing  dismay  that 
in  some  strange  fashion  softened  the  blow,  while  in  place 
of  considering  the  future  his  memory  reverted  without  his 
will  to  the  incidents  of  that  strange  journey.  They  rose 
blurred  before  him  as  the  creations  of  an  evil  dream,  the 
wild  descent  of  a  rapid,  the  desperate  effort  of  the  portage, 
the  long  hours  of  toil  at  the  paddle,  and  endless  unrolling 
of  whitened  pines  that  crawled  by  them  through  the  snow. 
Now  at  least,  when  he  could  do  no  more,  that  stupendous 
toil  was  finished.  Turning,  he  glanced  at  Alton,  who  had 
with  apparent  difficulty  swallowed  a  little  of  the  tea.  He 
lay  amidst  the  blankets  with  eyes  closed,  breathing  unevenly. 

210 


OKANAGAN'S   ROAD 

"  Then  you'll  go  on  to  Somasco,  Tom,  and  send  back  the 
boys  for  us.  They  may  be  in  time,"  he  said. 

Okanagan  strode  softly  to  the  entrance  of  the  tent  and 
drew  the  canvas  back.  A  moon  hung  red  with  frost  in  the 
pitiless  heavens,  the  stars  shone  steelily,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  cold  of  the  icy  North  was  laying  its  grip  upon  the 
valley. 

"  Harry  wouldn't  have  much  use  for  them  when  they 
came.  There's  an  ice  fringe  round  the  boulders  now,"  he 
said. 

Seaforth  stared  out  into  the  glittering  night,  and  groaned, 
for  he  knew  what  happened  to  wounded  men  unsheltered 
from  the  frost.  His  voice  was  low  and  harsh  as  he  asked, 
"  Then  what  is  to  be  done  ?  " 

Okanagan  replaced  the  canvas  before  he  answered  quietly, 
"  There's  the  canon." 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth.  "  Still,  no  man  has  ever  gone 
down  it." 

"  No.  But  the  water's  lowest  in  winter,  and  a  canoe  once 
came  through.  I  can't  see  why  another  shouldn't  do  as 
well  with  men  in  it.  It's  easy  getting  in,  anyway." 

Seaforth  laughed  mirthlessly.  "  Oh,  yes.  The  question 
is,  will  any  of  us  come  out  again  alive  ?  " 

As  he  spoke  the  sound  of  the  river's  turmoil  swelled  in 
a  great  pulsation  about  the  tent,  and  Seaforth  involuntarily 
drew  in  his  breath.  The  curious  glow  he  had  seen  there 
before,  however,  grew  a  trifle  brighter  in  his  companion's 
eyes. 

"  That,"  he  said  solemnly,  "  only  the  Almighty  knows, 
but  if  we  stop  here  there'll  be  an  end  of  Harry.  Now, 
there  are  some  folks  in  the  old  country  who'd  be  sorry  if 
you  don't  come  back  ?  " 

Seaforth  smiled  a  trifle  bitterly.  "  I  don't  think  there 
are.  They  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  their  affection 
before  I  came  out  to  Canada,  and  didn't  take  it.  I  found 
the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in  this  country — and  as  there 
seems  no  other  way  we'll  try  the  canon." 

Okanagan  sat  down  again,  and  hacked  away  with  Alton's 
knife  at  a  piece  of  redwood  he  was  fashioning  into  a  pad- 
dle. Both  of  them  knew  that  the  effort  they  were  to  make 

211 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

on  their  friend's  behalf  might  well  cost  their  life,  but  big, 
untaught  bushman  and  once  gently-nurtured  Briton  were  in 
one  respect  at  least  alike,  and  that  was  a  fact  which  would 
never  again  be  mentioned  between  them. 

It  was  an  hour  or  thereabouts  later  when  Alton  opened 
his  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  asked  you,  though  I  meant  to,  but 
you  and  Tom  staked  two  more  claims  off  ?  "  he  said. 

Okanagan  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed,  but  Seaforth 
laughed.  "  I'm  afraid  we  didn't.  You  see,  we  started  in  a 
hurry,  and  I  forgot." 

Alton  stared  at  him  a  moment  in  bewilderment,  and  then 
through  the  pain  that  distorted  it  a  curious  look  crept  into 
his  face. 

"  I  figure  you're  lying,  Charley,  and  you  don't  do  it  well," 
he  said.  "  Folks  don't  usually  forget  when  they  leave  a 
fortune  behind  them." 

Seaforth  smiled  a  little.  "  Well,  I  may  have  been,  but  a 
fortune  didn't  seem  very  likely  to  be  much  use  to  me  then 
or  now,"  he  said. 

Alton  gravely  shook  his  head,  but  the  two  men's  eyes 
met  for  a  moment,  and  Seaforth  felt  embarrassed  as  he 
turned  his  aside.  There  was  no  need  to  tell  the  injured 
man  that  his  welfare  had  appeared  of  more  importance  to 
his  comrades  than  any  profit  that  might  accrue  to  them 
from  the  silver  mine. 

"  Well,"  he  said  simply,  "  you  or  Tom  should  get  through 
to  Somasco." 

"  I  hope  so,"  said  Seaforth,  as  Okanagan  signed  to  him. 
"  You  see,  we  are  all  going  there  together  by  the  shortest 
way,  down  the  canon." 

Alton  stared  at  him  a  moment.  "  Now  I  had "  he 

commenced,  and  then  stopped  abruptly. 

Once  more  Seaforth  smiled.  "  Then  you  had  thought 
about  it,  Harry  ?  " 

Alton's  eyes  closed  a  little.  "  I'm  not  one  of  the  folks 
who  go  round  telling  people  all  they  think,"  he  said. 
"  There's  no  way  down  that  canon." 

Seaforth  understood  what  was  passing  in  his  comrade's 
mind,  and  knew  that  Alton  had  not  kept  silence  because  of 

212 


OKANAGAN'S   ROAD 

the  risk  to  himself,  for  whatever  was  done  the  chances  were 
equally  against  him. 

"  I'm  afraid  we  can't  contradict  you,  but  we  shall  discover 
to-morrow  whether  you  are  right  or  not,"  he  said. 

Alton's  glance  grew  a  little  less  direct.  "  I  would  stop 
you  if  I  could." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Seaforth,  smiling.  "  Still,  you  see  you 
can't,  and  when  you  go  out  mining  with  feather-brained 
companions  must  take  the  consequences." 

Alton,  who  said  nothing  further,  apparently  went  to  sleep, 
and  there  was  silence  in  the  tent  save  for  the  roar  of  water 
and  the  rattle  of  Okanagan's  knife. 

They  launched  the  canoe  with  the  first  of  the  daylight, 
dragging  her  through  the  crackling  ice  fringe  under  the 
bitter  frost,  and  as  they  slid  down  the  smooth  green  flow 
towards  the  stupendous  rent  in  the  mountain  side  the  river 
poured  through,  Okanagan  glanced  towards  it  and  then  at 
the  still  figure  lying  huddled  in  the  blankets  in  the  bottom 
of  the  canoe. 

"  That,  I  figure,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  men  in  the 
Dominion,  and  between  Somasco  and  the  place  in  England 
he  has  a  good  deal  in  his  hands,"  he  said. 

Seaforth  understood  him,  and  smiled  grimly.  "  We 
brought  nothing  into  this  world — and  we'll  be  very  close 
to  the  next  one  in  a  few  more  minutes,"  he  said.  "  Hadn't 
you  better  get  way  on,  Tom  ?  " 

They  dipped  the  paddles,  and  the  canoe  slid  on  smoothly 
under  the  clear  sunlight  and  the  frost  towards  the  film  of 
mist  where  the  oily  green  flow  broke  up  into  the  mad  white 
tumult  that  poured  down  the  canon.  Then  the  strokes 
quickened,  the  craft  lurched  beneath  them,  and  the  sun- 
light was  blotted  out  as  they  plunged  into  spray-filled  dim- 
ness. High  through  the  vapour  towered  smooth  walls  of 
stone,  and  the  river  that  rebounded  from  them  was  piled  in 
a  white  track  of  foam  midway  between.  The  canoe  swept 
onwards  down  it  apparently  with  the  speed  of  a  locomotive, 
and  Seaforth,  crouching  in  the  bows,  gripped  his  paddle 
with  bleeding  fingers  that  had  split  at  the  knuckles  with  the 
frost.  He  watched  the  smooth  walls  whirl  by  him  mechani- 
cally, and  remembered  that  the  canon  could  not  last  for- 

213 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

ever.  There  was  comfort  in  the  reflection,  because  the 
miles  would  melt  behind  them  at  the  pace  they  travelled 
at.  That  was  so  long  as  the  stream  flowed  straight  and 
even,  but  he  did  not  care  to  contemplate  what  would  happen 
if  it  foamed  over  any  obstacle. 

For  a  time  he  saw  nothing  but  froth  and  spray  and 
flitting  stone,  and  then  the  roar  that  came  back  from  the 
towering  walls  swelled  into  a  great  diapason  terrifying  and 
"bewildering.  Seaforth  glanced  over  his  shoulder  and  saw 
that  Okanagan  was  dipping  his  paddle. 

"  A  fall  or  a  big  rapid.  We've  got  to  go  through,"  he 
said. 

Seaforth  swept  his  gaze  aloft  for  a  moment  while  the  be- 
wildering roar  grew  deafening.  Nothing  that  had  life  in  it 
could  scale  the  horrible  smooth  walls  that  hung  over  them, 
and  through  a  rift  in  the  vapour  he  could  see  a  filigree  of 
whitened  pines  that  seemed  very  far  away  projected  against 
the  blue.  They  were,  he  fancied,  at  least  a  thousand  feet 
above  him,  and  he  and  Okanagan  alone  far  down  in  the 
dimness  of  another  world  with  their  helpless  companion. 
Then  he  nerved  himself  for  an  effort  as  he  looked  forward 
into  the  spray  and  vapour  that  whirled  in  denser  clouds 
ahead.  Nothing  was  visible  through  its  filmy  folds,  but 
his  flesh  shrank  from  the  tumult  of  sound  that  came  out 
of  it. 

"  Hold  her  straight,"  cried  Okanagan,  in  a  breathless 
roar,  and  Seaforth  just  heard  his  voice  through  the  diapason 
of  the  river. 

Then  the  canoe  lurched  beneath  them,  and  sped  faster 
still,  plunging,  rocking,  rolling,  while  the  froth  beat  into 
her,  and  Seaforth  whirled  his  paddle  in  a  frenzy.  The 
shrinking  had  gone,  and  he  was  only  conscious  of  a  curious 
unreasoning  exaltation.  A  pinnacle  of  rock  flashed  by 
them,  there  was  a  roar  from  Tom,  and  straining  every 
sinew  on  the  paddle  they  swung,  with  eyes  dilated  and 
laboured  breadth,  sideways  towards  the  wall  of  stone.  Then 
the  froth  that  leapt  about  it  swept  astern,  and  they  were 
going  on  again,  faster  than  ever,  and  apparently  down  a 
declivity,  the  spray  beating  upon  them  and  the  canoe  swing- 
ing her  bows  out  of  a  frothing  confusion. 

214 


OKANAGAN'S   ROAD 

Seaforth  heard  a  cry  behind  him,  but  could  attach  no 
meaning  to  it,  and  whirled  his  paddle  mechanically,  until 
the  craft  appeared  to  lurch  out  from  under  him,  and  fall 
bodily  with  a  great  splashing.  Twice,  it  seemed  to  him, 
she  swung  round  a  great  black  pool,  and  then^they  were 
driving  forward  again  a  trifle  more  smoothly,  while  here 
and  there  a  stunted  pine  that  clung  to  the  rocks  came 
flitting  back  to  them.  He  felt  Okanagan's  paddle  in  his 
shoulder,  and  glanced  round  a  moment.  There  was  a 
green  strip  behind  them  that  seemed  to  roll  itself  together 
and  fall  roaring  into  the  pool,  but  a  wisp  of  mist  that 
blotted  out  everything  drifted  across  his  eyes. 

Seaforth  retained  no  very  clear  impression  of  the  re- 
mainder of  that  day's  journey,  but  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon when  the  walls  of  rock  fell  back  a  little  on  either  hand, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  they  lay  motionless  in  the  bottom 
of  a  great  pit  while  the  hills  slowly  rolled  away  behind 
them.  Here  and  there  a  strip  of  shingle  now  divided  rock 
from  river,  and  when  presently  Okanagan  called  out,  Sea- 
forth felt  by  the  change  of  motion  that  he  was  backing  his 
paddle.  Looking  forward  he  saw  the  cause  of  it,  for  there 
were  boulders  in  the  channel,  and  a  great  fir  lay  jammed 
across  them.  They  were  almost  upon  it  when  the  bows 
reached  the  shingle. 

Okanagan  helped  him  to  carry  Alton  ashore,  and  then 
stood  still  looking  at  the  fir,  which  was  of  a  girth  seldom 
seen  in  any  other  country. 

"  She's  lying  right  across,  and  we've  got  to  chop  our  way 
through,"  he  said.  "  You'll  fix  the  tent  and  make  supper 
while  I  take  first  turn." 

He  came  back  dripping  presently,  and  Seaforth  was 
waist-deep  in  icy  water  when  he  reached  the  tree.  The 
shingle  slipped  beneath  him,  the  stream  frothed  about  his 
limbs,  and  he  felt  very  puny  and  helpless  with  that  great 
log  before  him.  His  hands  were  split  and  opened  by  the 
frost,  and  the  wounds  bled  at  every  stroke,  but  while  the 
red  glare  of  the  fire  Okanagan  was  feeding  with  washed-up 
branches  flickered  about  him  he  panted  and  smote,  until 
the  power  went  from  him,  and  his  comrade  took  his  place. 

It  was   apparently  a  task   for  demigods,  but  it  is  no 

215 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

unusual  thing  for  the  men  who  come  to  grips  with  nature 
unsubdued  in  the  frozen  North  to  attempt,  and  accomplish, 
more  than  flesh  and  blood  seem  capable  of,  and  all  night 
long  they  fought  their  grim  battle,  hewing  until  sight  and 
breathing  failed  them,  and  then  staggering  back  to  lie 
dripping  and  gasping  by  the  fire.  Arms  grew  powerless, 
eyes  were  dim,  the  rents  in  their  wet  hands  gaped,  and 
there  was  blood  upon  their  deerskins ;  but  little  by  little  the 
notch  widened,  until  at  last  the  steel  splashed  in  the  water 
that  deflected  it,  and  Seaforth  fancied  they  were  beaten. 
Still,  there  was  no  relaxing  of  effort,  and  as  the  stars  were 
paling  in  the  rift  high  overhead  he  heard  a  sound  that  was 
not  the  monotone  of  the  river.  Another  man  heard  it,  too, 
for  Okanagan  came  floundering  towards  him  through  a 
tumult  of  foam  and  wrested  the  axe  from  his  hand.  For 
five  minutes  he  smote  fiercely,  and  then  raised  a  hoarse, 
half-articulate  cry  of  triumph. 

"  She's  going." 

There  was  a  smashing  and  snapping.  The  huge  trunk 
rolled  a  little,  rent,  and  swept  away,  and  Seaforth  reeling 
shorewards  sat  down  with  bleeding  hands  in  the  ashes, 
laughing  foolishly,  until  Okanagan  stooped  and  smote  his 
shoulder. 

"  Get  up,"  he  said.     "  It's  time  we  were  going." 

There  was  not  light  enough  to  see  by,  and  they  had 
eaten  nothing  during  all  those  hours  of  heroic  toil,  but 
Seaforth  seemed  to  realize  that  the  issue  lay  beyond  them 
now,  and  it  did  not  matter  greatly  what  they  did  or  failed 
to  do.  He  was  also  consumed  by  a  desire  to  escape  from 
that  horrible  place  of  shadow,  and  striking  the  tent  in 
clumsy  haste  they  launched  the  canoe.  After  that  he  re- 
membered little,  though  he  had  a  hazy  recollection  of  stop- 
ping somewhere  and  helping  Tom  to  make  a  fire,  for  there 
was  wood  in  abundance  everywhere.  Whether  he  ate  any- 
thing he  did  not  know,  but  all  day  the  canoe  slid  on  com- 
paratively smoothly,  and  they  toiled  at  the  paddle  until 
hands  and  arms  seemed  to  move  of  their  own  volition.  Sea- 
forth felt  that  he  would  gladly  have  lain  down  and  frozen, 
but  an  influence  which  had  apparently  nothing  to  do  with 
his  will  constrained  him  to  labour  on. 

216 


OKANAGAN'S   ROAD 

At  last,  when  the  stars  were  shining  and  the  moon  hung 
red  in  a  broader  strip  of  sky,  the  curious  sustaining  animus 
seemed  to  desert  him,  and  he  lurched  forward  with  a  little 
gasp,  while  the  paddle  almost  slipped  from  his  stiffened 
fingers.  < 

"  Hold  up,"  said  Okanagan.  "  Stream's  running  slow, 
and  the  hills  are  opening  there.  I'm  not  sure  that  we're 
not  close  on  the  Somasco  valley." 

Seaforth  made  a  last  effort,  but  his  fingers  lost  their 
grasp,  and  when  he  slipped  forward  again  his  paddle  slid 
away  behind  them.  Then  he  groaned  a  little,  and  lay 
still  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  The  next  thing  he  was 
clearly  conscious  of  was  the  ringing  of  a  rifle  and  he  raised 
himself  as  the  woods  flung  back  the  sound.  They  seemed 
some  distance  from  him  now,  and  the  moon  shone  down  on 
a  broadening  strip  of  water.  Again  the  rifle  flashed,  and 
he  wondered  vacantly  whether  the  twinkle  that  perplexed 
his  hazy  sight  could  be  lights  that  blinked  at  them. 

"  Where  have  we  got  to,  Tom  ?  "  he  said. 

Okanagan  laughed  softly.  "  Tolerably  close  on  So- 
masco," he  said.  "  I  think  they've  heard  us  at  the  mill." 

Then  as  Seaforth  listened,  a  shout  came  ringing  across 
the  glinting  space  before  them  that  seemed  curiously  still. 
"  Hold  on.  We're  coming.  Is  that  you  and  the  others, 
Tom?" 

Okanagan  laughed  again,  and  the  canoe  stopped  amidst 
the  ice  when  the  paddle  fell  from  his  hand. 

"  It's  a  good  deal  less  of  us  than  there  was  when  we 
staned  out,"  he  said. 


217 


CHAPTER   XXII 

MISS  DERINGHAM  DECIDES 

IT  was  a  clear  winter  day,  when  a  big  side-wheel  steamer 
bound  for  way  ports  down  the  Sound  lay  at  the  wharf  at 
Vancouver  waiting  for  the  mail.  Towering  white  in  the 
sunshine  high  above  the  translucent  brine,  she  looked  with 
her  huge  wheel-casings,  lines  of  winking  windows,  and  triple 
tier  of  decks  more  like  a  hotel  set  afloat  than  a  steamer,  and 
the  resemblance  was  completed  by  the  long  tables  set  out 
for  breakfast  in  the  white  and  gold  saloon.  No  swarm  of 
voracious  passengers  had,  however,  descended  upon  them 
as  yet,  for  though  winter  touches  the  southern  coast  but 
lightly,  it  is  occasionally  almost  Arctic  amidst  the  ranges  of 
the  mountain  province,  and  the  Pacific  express  was  held  up 
somewhere  by  the  snow. 

Bright  though  the  sunshine  was,  a  bitter  wind  came  down 
across  the  inlet  from  the  gleaming  hills  that  stretched  back, 
ridged  here  and  there  by  the  sombre  green  of  pines,  towards 
the  frozen  North,  and  Deringham  and  his  daughter,  who 
were  setting  out  on  a  visit  to  a  town  of  Washington,  had 
sought  shelter  in  the  saloon.  Alice  Deringham  leaned  back 
in  a  corner,  a  very  dainty  picture  in  her  clinging  furs,  with 
the  ivory  whiteness  of  the  panelling  behind  her.  Her  father 
sat  close  by,  with  a  face  that  was  slightly  puckered,  and 
thoughtful  eyes,  turning  over  a  packet  of  letters  that  had 
reached  him  from  England  the  day  before,  and  his  daughter 
fancied  that  their  contents  by  no  means  pleased  him.  There 
were  a  few  of  her  passengers  in  the  saloon,  and  one  couple 
attracted  her  languid  attention. 

She  could  see  the  man  plainly,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
usual  type  of  Western  citizen,  keen-eyed,  quick  and  nervous 
of  movement  and  gesture,  and  incisive  of  speech.  He  had 
a  bundle  of  papers  before  him,  and  appeared  to  be  making 

218 


MISS   DERINGHAM  DECIDES 

calculations  in  pencil  while  he  dictated  to  his  companion. 
Now  and  then  she  caught  disjointed  fragments  of  his 
conversation. 

"Got  that  quite  straight?  Fall  in  securities,  silver  de- 
preciating. Now  did  I  put  in  anything  about  thte  Democrats 
going  in  ?  " 

Miss  Deringham  could  make  but  little  of  this,  and  had 
always  cherished  a  faint  contempt,  which  she  may  have 
inherited  from  her  mother,  who  had  been  born  at  Carnaby, 
for  anything  connected  with  business.  Still,  she  was  mildly 
interested  in  the  man's  companion,  whose  face  she  could 
not  see.  The  girl  was  dressed  very  plainly,  and  Miss  Der- 
ingham decided  that  the  fabric  had  not  cost  much  to  begin 
with  and  was  by  no  means  new.  It,  however,  set  off  a 
pretty,  slender  figure,  and  the  girl  had  fine  brown  hair, 
while  the  little  ungloved  fingers  on  pencil  were  white  and 
shapely.  Alice  Deringham  wondered  with  a  languid 
curiosity  what  her  face  was  like,  and  felt  a  half  con- 
temptuous pity  for  her.  She  did  not  consider  such  an  oc- 
cupation fitting  for  a  woman. 

Then  her  attention  was  diverted  as  a  boy  with  a  satchel 
calling  out  "  Colonist,"  in  a  shrill  nasal  drawl,  came  in,  and 
she  vacantly  watched  a  man  who  purchased  a  paper  spread 
out  the  sheet. 

"  They've  got  that  fellow  up  at  Slocane,"  he  said  to  a 
companion.  "  Yes,  sir,  sent  him  down  for  trial,  and  it  took 
a  special  guard  to  keep  the  boys  off  him.  I  guess  if  he'd 
done  it  down  our  way  they  wouldn't  have  worried,  but  put 
him  in  a  tar-keg  and  set  a  light  to  him.  They're  way  be- 
hind the  times  in  the  Dominion." 

"  Killed  him  in  his  sleep  for  a  hundred  dollars,"  said 
another  man,  glancing  over  the  reader's  shoulder,  but  Miss 
Deringham  was  not  interested  in  the  murder  she  remembered 
having  heard  about.  She  was,  however,  a  trifle  astonished 
to  see  that  her  father  was  watching  the  gathering  group 
with  a  serious  look  in  his  eyes,  but  he  glanced  down  some- 
what hastily  at  his  papers  when  he  met  her  gaze.  Then 
the  voices  grew  less  distinct,  and  that  of  the  man  dic- 
tating broke  monotonously  through  them  until  a  steward 
approached  her  father  with  an  envelope  in  his  hand. 

219 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

"  Mr.  Forel  has  just  sent  it  down,  sir,"  he  said,  "  You're 
Mr.  Deringham  ?  " 

Deringham  tore  the  envelope  open,  and  while  he  sat 
staring  at  the  paper  inside  it  his  daughter  noticed  that  there 
was  a  little  pale  spot  in  his  cheek.  His  hand  also  appeared 
to  tremble  slightly  when,  saying  nothing,  he  passed  the 
telegram  across  to  her. 

"  Regret  to  inform  you  that  my  partner  met  with  accident 
in  the  ranges,  and  his  condition  is  critical,"  it  read.  "  Can 
you  send  us  nurse  or  capable  woman.  Mrs.  Margery  ill. 
Seaforth,  Somasco." 

Alice  Deringham  shivered  a  little.  "He  is  evidently 
dangerously  injured." 

"  It  appears  so,"  said  Deringham,  and  his  daughter  after- 
wards remembered  that  his  voice  was  hoarse  and  strained. 

The  girl,  however,  said  nothing  for  a  while.  She  was  not 
impulsive,  and  her  face  remained  almost  as  cold  in  its  clear 
whiteness  as  the  panelling  behind  it,  but  her  heart  beat  a 
little  faster  than  usual,  and  she  was  trying  somewhat  un- 
successfully to  analyze  her  sensations.  In  the  meanwhile 
the  voices  of  the  men  who  now  surrounded  the  one  with  the 
paper  reached  her,  and  she  noticed  vacantly  that  her  father 
seemed  to  be  listening  to  them. 

"  They'll  hang  him,  anyway,"  said  one. 

"  Made  no  show  at  all  when  they  got  him  hiding  in  the 
bush,"  said  another.  "  Still,  you  couldn't  expect  much  from 
that  kind  of  man.  Killed  him  for  a  hundred  dollars  in  his 
bed." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  first  speaker.  "  And  he  didn't  get  all 
of  them.  The  man  was  his  own  cousin,  and  too  sick  to  do 
anything.  Well,  thank  God,  we  haven't  got  many  vermin 
of  that  kind  in  the  Dominion." 

Deringham,  who  had  picked  up  the  telegram,  let  it  slip 
from  his  fingers  as  he  rose,  and  the  girl  wondered  at  the 
change  in  him.  He  seemed  to  have  grown  suddenly  hag- 
gard, and  the  lines  upon  his  face  were  much  more  apparent 
than  usual.  r 

"You  will  excuse  me  a  minute,"  he  said,  and  the  girl 
noticed  the  curious  deliberation  of  his  movements  and  the 
stoop  in  his  shoulders  as  he  crossed  the  saloon. 

220 


MISS   DERINGHAM  DECIDES 

Deringham  had  faced  more  than  one  crisis  in  the  past, 
and  the  difference  in  his  pose  might  not  have  attracted  a 
stranger's  notice,  though  it  was  evident  to  his  daughter  that 
something  had  troubled  him.  Why  he  should  be  so  dis- 
turbed by  the  news  of  Alton's  condition  she  could  not  quite 
see,  but  that  appeared  of  the  less  importance,1  because  she 
was  endeavouring  to  evade  the  question  why  the  telegram 
should  also  have  caused  her  a  curious  consternation.  He 
was  a  half-taught  rancher,  and  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
the  homage  of  men  of  mark  and  polish  in  England — but 
it  was  with  something  approaching  dismay  she  heard  that 
the  man  who  had  supplanted  her  father  was,  though  she 
could  scarcely  contemplate  the  possibility,  dying. 

In  the  meanwhile  Deringham  walked  into  the  bar,  and 
leaned  somewhat  heavily  upon  the  counter  as  he  asked  for 
a  glass  of  brandy.  He  spilled  a  little  of  it,  and  the  steward, 
who  saw  that  his  fingers  shook,  glanced  at  him  curiously  as 
he  set  it  down. 

"  I  guess  that  will  fix  you,  sir,"  he  said.  "  You're  not 
feeling  well  ?  " 

Deringham  made  a  little  gesture  of  assent,  and  the  man 
drew  him  out  a  chair.  "That  is  good  brandy,"  he  said. 
"  You'd  better  sit  down  there  quietly  and  have  another. 
Here's  The  Colonist.  They've  got  that  fellow  up  at 
Slocane,  but  one  feels  sorry  the  boys  didn't  get  hold  of  him. 
Hanging's  not  much  use  for  that  kind  of  man." 

Deringham's  fingers  trembled  as  he  thrust  the  journal 
aside,  but  his  voice  was  even.  "  The  brandy  is  rather 
better  than  any  I've  had  of  late,"  he  said.  "  You  can  give 
me  another  glass  of  it." 

For  at  least  ten  minutes  he  lay  somewhat  limply  in  the 
chair,  and  his  reflections  were  not  pleasant.  He  had 
speculated  with  another  man's  money  and  lost  most  of  it, 
as  well  as  profited  by  several  transactions  which  were  little 
better  than  a  swindle;  but  that  was  as  far  as  he  had  gone 
hitherto,  and  he  had  in  a  curious  fashion  retained  through 
it  all  a  measure  of  inherited  pride.  Now,  however,  the 
disguise  was  for  a  moment  torn  aside,  and  he  saw  himself 
as  he  was,  a  thief  and  a  miscreant,  no  better  than  the 
brutish  bushman  who  had  slain  his  sick  kinsman  for  a  hun- 

221 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

dred  dollars.  There  was,  as  he  had  read  already,  noth- 
ing to  redeem  the  sordid,  cowardly  treachery  of  that 
crime. 

Deringham  was,  however,  proficient  at  finding  excuses 
for  himself  and  shutting  his  eyes  to  unpleasant  facts,  and 
the  phase  commenced  to  pass.  He  had,  he  recollected, 
plainly  stated  that  he  merely  desired  Alton  to  be  detained  a 
little  amidst  the  ranges,  and  it  became  evident  to  him  that 
what  had  happened  was  the  result  of  Hallam's  villainy. 
Hallam  had  injured  him  as  well  as  Alton,  while  there  was 
no  controverting  the  fact  that  the  rancher's  decease  would 
relieve  him  of  a  vast  anxiety,  and  his  first  indignation 
against  Hallam  also  melted  when  he  rose  composedly 
from  the  chair.  He  felt  that  Seaforth  expected  something 
of  him,  and  it  appeared  advisable  to  consider  what  could 
be  done,  while  a  project  already  commended  itself  to  him. 
In  another  five  minutes  he  had  rejoined  his  daughter,  look- 
ing more  like  the  man  who  urbanely  presided  over  the  not 
always  contented  shareholders'  meetings.  He  realized, 
however,  that  he  had  a  slightly  difficult  task  before  him. 

"You  seem  to  take  the  news  rather  badly,  father,"  said 
the  girl. 

Deringham  smiled  deprecatingly.  "  I  have  not  been 
quite  so  well  lately,  and  it  upset  me  a  trifle,"  said  he.  "  I 
have  a  regard  for  our  Canadian  kinsman  and  have  been 
inclined  to  fancy  that  you  shared  it  with  me." 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  girl  indifferently.  "  Mr.  Alton  has 
been  especially  kind  to  us." 

"Yes,"  said  Deringham.  "Mr.  Seaforth  must  also  be 
very  helpless  up  there  alone,  with  his  comrade  seriously  ill. 
Now  there  is  no  great  necessity  for  my  journey  down  the 
Sound,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  business  could  be 
handled  almost  as  well  by  letter.  I  do  not  know  that  there 
is  very  much  that  would  please  you  to  be  seen  in  the 
Washington  townships  either." 

Alice  Deringham  glanced  at  him  thoughtfully.  "  And?  " 
she  said. 

Deringham  glanced  down  a  moment  at  his  shoes.  "  I  was 
wondering  if  you  could  be  of  any  use  up  there." 

His  daughter  laughed  a  little.     "  I  think  that  is  readily 

222 


MISS   DERINGHAM  DECIDES 

answered.  I  cannot  cook,  and  neither  can  I  wash,  while  I 
have  never  attended  to  a  sick  person  in  my  life." 

"  No,"  said  her  father  with  a  trace  of  embarrassment. 
"  Still,  one  understands  that  it  comes  naturally  to  women. 
In  any  case  your  mere  presence  would  in  a  fashion  be  an 
advantage." 

Alice  Deringham  watched  him  in  silence  for  a  few  sec- 
onds and  then  smiled  again.  "  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
believe  it.  I  am  sincerely  sorry  for  Mr.  Alton,  but  I  can  see 
no  reason  for  intruding  at  Somasco  now." 

Deringham  regarded  her  steadily,  and  the  girl  knew  it 
would  be  advisable  for  her  to  yield.  This  did  not  displease 
her,  for,  though  she  had  negatived  his  suggestion,  her 
father's  wishes  coincided  with  her  own.  She,  however,  de- 
sired to  visit  Somasco  as  it  were  under  compulsion,  and  to 
feel  that  she  had  not  done  so  of  her  own  inclination. 

"  I  think  there  is  a  reason — and  it  would  please  me,"  he 
said. 

"  Then  I  should  be  pleased  to  hear  it." 

Deringham  appeared  to  consider,  because  the  motives 
which  influenced  him  were  ones  he  could  not  well  reveal. 
"  We  are  his  only  relatives  in  this  country — and  there  is  the 
look  of  the  thing,"  he  said. 

The  girl  moved  a  little,  and  her  father  watching  her 
noticed  her  fine  symmetry,  and  how  her  red-gold  hair 
gleamed  against  the  white  panelling.  It  was  possibly  be- 
cause of  this  background  he  also  noticed  the  faint  flicker 
of  warmth  that  crept  into  her  face  and  neck,  and  that 
there  was  a  glow  in  her  eyes  he  had  not  seen  there  pre- 
viously. 

"That,"  she  said  with  a  cold  distinctness,  "is  precisely 
what  I  object  to." 

Deringham  laughed  a  little.  "  I  think  that  aspect  of  the 
question  will  not  be  evident  to  Alton." 

"  No  ?  "  said  the  girl,  while  the  tinge  of  colour  deepened 
a  little.  "  Still,  it  is  very  plain  to  me." 

Deringham  said  nothing,  and  the  two  sat  still  while  the 
voice  of  the  man  dictating  jarred  upon  one  of  them. 
"  Very  little  interest  taken  in  mineral  claims,  no  inquiries 
for  ranching  properties." 

223 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

Alice  Deringham  turned,  and  saw  the  girl's  fingers 
flittering  across  the  paper,  but  her  face  was  still  hidden 
and  the  monotonous  voice  continued,  "  We  made  a  few  ad- 
vances during  the  last  week  or  two." 

The  other  passengers  had  gone  out  of  the  saloon,  and  it 
was  very  quiet  save  for  the  soft  flow  of  words  and  rattle  of 
the  pencil,  when  Deringham  once  more  unfolded  the 
telegram. 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  going  hardly  with  the  man,"  he  said 
suggestively.  " '  My  partner  met  with  accident — his  con- 
dition is  critical.'  The  message  left  Somasco  yesterday." 

There  was  a  rustle  at  the  adjoining  table,  and  the  girl's 
pencil  fell  to  the  floor. 

"  Will  you  wait  a  moment,  please  ?  "  a  voice  said,  and 
the  dictation  broke  off  abruptly,  while  when  the  girl  rose 
Alice  Deringham  found  herself  suddenly  confronted  with 
Miss  Townshead.  Deringham,  who  stood  up,  made  her  a 
little  decorous  inclination. 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  you  again,"  he  said. 

The  speech  was  apparently  lost  upon  the  girl,  who  did 
not  seem  to  notice  his  daughter's  greeting. 

"  I  could  not  avoid  hearing  a  few  words  of  yours,"  she 
said.  "  Mr.  Alton — or  his  partner — is  seriously  ill." 

Deringham  handed  her  the  telegram,  and  stood  watching 
her  curiously  while  she  read  it.  He  saw  her  lips  set  a  trifle, 
and  a  slight  lowering  of  her  eyes,  but  though  the  girl  seemed 
to  draw  in  her  breath  he  fancied  it  was  not  with  con- 
sternation. 

"  That  is  all  we  know,"  he  said. 

Miss  Townshead  gave  him  back  the  message,  but  Dering- 
ham did  not  see  her  face,  for  she  and  his  daughter  seemed 
to  be  looking  at  each  other.  They  formed  a  somewhat 
curious  contrast,  for  Alice  Deringham  appeared  taller  and 
more  stately  than  she  was  in  her  costly  furs,  and  Nellie 
Townshead  very  slight  and  almost  shabby  in  her  thin  and 
well-worn  dress.  Neither  spoke  for  a  moment,  but  the 
half-amiable  condescension  in  Miss  Deringham's  attitude 
was  a  trifle  too  marked. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  is  all  we  can  tell  you,"  she  said.  "  Mr. 
Alton  has  evidently  met  with  a  serious  accident,  and  we 

224 


MISS   DERINGHAM  DECIDES 

are  going  up  at  once  to  Somasco  to  see  what  we  can  do  for 
him."  ^ 

Deringham  moved  a  trifle  and  glanced  at  his  daughter. 
She  had  said  very  little,  but  there  was  a  subtle  something 
in  her  tone  and  bearing  which  implied  a  goo4  deal,  and  he 
fancied  it  was  not  lost  upon  Miss  Townshead. 

The  latter,  however,  glanced  round  towards  her  em- 
ployer, and  her  face  was  once  more  expressionless  as  she 
said,  "  Then  I  hope  you  will  find  him  progressing  favour- 
ably, and  it  would  be  a  kindness  to  my  father  and  myself 
if  you  or  Mr.  Seaforth  would  send  us  word." 

She  went  back  to  her  duties,  and  Deringham  smiled  a 
little  as  the  monotonous  voice  commenced  again.  "  That's 
all  right,  Miss  Townshead.  Now  where  was  I?  Oh,  yes. 
We  should  not  recommend  any  further  advances.  Did  I 
tell  him  we  had  to  negotiate  Tyrer's  bond  at  a  discount  ?  " 

"  You  seem  to  have  reversed  your  decision  somewhat 
suddenly,"  he  said.  "  I  had  not  noticed  it  before,  but  Miss 
Townshead  is  distinctly  pretty.  She  was,  I  believe,  on 
tolerably  good  terms  with  our  afflicted  kinsman." 

Miss  Deringham  laughed  as  she  answered  him.  "  That  is 
one  of  our  privileges,  but  you  had  better  inquire  about  my 
baggage.  I  think  I  hear  the  train  coming  in." 

She  turned  a  moment  as  she  went  out  of  the  saloon,  and 
glanced  back  towards  the  table.  She  could  only  see  that 
Miss  Townshead's  head  was  bent  lower  over  the  paper  than 
it  had  been,  but  she  had  a  suspicion  as  to  what  the  girl  was 
feeling.  It  was  also  partly,  but  not  more  than  partly  justi- 
fied, for  Nellie  Townshead  was  writing  mechanically  just 
then,  though  now  and  then  she  drove  the  pencil  somewhat 
viciously  into  the  paper  when  the  hasty  words  grew  faster. 
"  Don't  consider  your  recommendation  workable.  We 
are  sending  you  ore  to  test.  Finish  it  up  in  the  usual 
way." 

Then  the  locomotive  bell  on  the  wharf  was  answered  by 
the  roar  of  the  steamer's  whistle,  and  the  man  folded  up 
his  papers.  "  You  will  have  to  get  ashore,  but  we  have 
done  a  good  morning's  work,"  said  he.  "  Those  were 
friends  of  yours  from  the  old  country  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Nellie  Townshead  with  a  curious  expression. 

225 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

"  They  are  from  the  old  country,  but  I  only  met  tHem  once 
or  twice  at  Somasco." 

The  man  glanced  at  her  thoughtfully.  "  Yes,"  he  said. 
"  I  kind  of  fancied  the  lady  didn't  mean  to  be  nice  to  you." 

Miss  Townshead  smiled,  though  there  was  an  ominous 
brightness  in  her  eyes.  "  I  scarcely  think  she  would  take 
the  trouble  to  make  me  feel  that/'  she  said.  "  Miss 
Deringham  is,  I  understand,  a  lady  of  some  importance  in 
the  old  country." 

The  man  once  more  regarded  her  with  grave  kindliness. 
"  Folks  of  that  kind  can  be  very  nasty  prettily.  I've  met 
one  or  two  of  them.  Well,  you're  one  of  the  smartest 
business  ladies  I've  come  across  yet  in  this  country,  and  I 
should  figure  that's  quite  as  good  as  the  other.  Now — 
well,  of  course,  we  held  back  a  little  when  we  engaged  you, 
and  you  can  tell  the  cashier  to  hand  you  out  another  two 
dollars  every  Saturday. 

Nellie  Townshead  felt  that  the  colour  was  in  her  cheeks, 
but  she  thanked  the  man,  and  gathering  up  her  papers 
hastened  down  the  gangway  at  the  last  moment.  She 
stopped  a  moment  breathless  when  she  reached  the  wharf 
and  saw  Deringham  and  his  daughter  drive  away,  and  shut 
one  little  hand.  Then  she  laughed,  and  turned  towards 
the  city  with  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  The  two  dollars 
are  badly  needed — and  I'm  a  little  fool,  but  it  hurt,  all  of 
it,"  she  said. 


226 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE  AWAKENING 

THE  snow  had  ceased  an  hour  or  two  earlier,  and  the 
moon  shone  down  upon  the  glistening  pines  that  shook  off 
their  white  covering  under  a  bitter  wind,  when  a  wagon 
came  lurching  into  the  Somasco  valley.  Four  weary 
horses  floundered  in  front  of  it,  a  thin  white  steam  rising 
from  them  into  the  nipping  air,  and  Okanagan  swayed 
half  asleep  upon  the  driving-seat,  growling  inarticulate 
objurgations  when  the  vehicle  sank  creaking  into  a  hollow 
he  could  not  see.  He  had,  wearing  out  several  horses 
during  the  journey,  driven  close  upon  a  hundred  miles 
through  the  frost  and  snow,  and  had  ceased  to  encourage 
his  companions  during  the  last  hour  or  so.  In  fact,  he  was 
almost  as  incapable  of  speech  just  then  as  they  were  of 
comprehending  him. 

They  had,  however,  won  his  admiration,  which  he  was 
somewhat  slow  of  according  city  folk,  for  although  there 
had  been  times  when,  as  he  dragged  the  worn-out  team 
up  steep  hillsides  through  the  blinding  snow,  he  almost 
despaired  of  reaching  Somasco,  he  had  heard  no  complaint 
from  either  Deringham  or  his  daughter.  The  man  had 
helped  him  where  he  could,  and  when  there  was  nothing 
that  he  could  do  sat  silent  beside  him  smoking  tranquilly, 
while,  with  the  flung-up  snow  whirling  about  them,  the  team 
went  floundering  down  almost  precipitous  gully  or  rutted 
declivity,  where  a  stumble  would  have  hurled  them  all  into 
the  tops  of  the  pines  below.  Nor  had  a  cry  escaped  the  girl 
who  sat  behind  them,  gripping  the  side  of  the  bouncing 
vehicle,  when  once  a  horse  went  down,  and  on  another  oc- 
casion the  wagon  left  the  trail  and  drove  into  a  hemlock. 
Okanagan  also  remembered  that  though  it  had  been  neces- 
sary to  lift  her  down  when  twice  they  stopped  to  change 

227 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

the  team  at  a  lonely  ranch,  she  rose  smiling  with  blue  lips 
when  it  was  time  to  go  on  again. 

**  Yes,  sir,"  he  afterwards  said  to  Seaforth,  "  there  wasn't 
any  weakening  down  in  either  of  them,  and  the  girl's  a 
daisy." 

Deringham,  however,  was  now  sitting  amidst  the  straw 
in  the  bottom  of  the  wagon,  with  his  arm  about  his  daugh- 
ter, who  nestled  close  to  him  for  the  sake  of  warmth.  A 
bitter  frost  had  set  in  during  the  last  hour  or  so,  and  the 
snow  was  frozen  in  w^ite  patches  upon  her  wrappings,  while 
it  was  with  numbed  senses  she  vacantly  watched  the  pines 
flit  past  her.  It  seemed  that  they  would  crawl  up  out  of  the 
darkness  and  slide  by,  white  beneath  the  moonlight,  for- 
ever. 

Nor  could  she  recollect  much  of  the  journey,  which  had 
only  left  a  hazy  memory  of  biting  cold  and  blinding  snow, 
fierce  struggles  through  the  drifts,  and  brief  interludes  of 
warmth  and  brightness  in  forest-shrouded  ranches,  where 
her  chilled  flesh  shrank  from  the  task  before  her  when  she 
rose  to  go  on  again.  There  was  Alton  blood  in  Alice 
Deringham,  and  more  than  a  trace  of  the  Alton  pride,  but 
she  did  not  know  what  motive  had  sustained  her  or  why 
she  had  borne  it  all  so  patiently,  and  in  this  she  differed 
from  her  father.  Deringham  seldom  did  anything  without 
a  purpose,  and  he  had  one  now. 

His  daughter  had  been  asleep  with  her  head  on  his 
shoulder  when  a  shout  roused  her  two  hours  earlier,  and 
with  a  drumming  of  hoofs  they  came  lurching  into  the 
settlement.  For  a  blissful  moment  she  fancied  the  journey 
was  at  an  end,  for  there  were  lights  and  voices  and  a 
pleasant  smell  of  firwood  smoke,  but  Okanagan  shouted 
to  his  team,  and  the  lights  faded  away  behind  as  they 
plunged  into  the  silence  beneath  the  pines  again. 

"  Father,"  she  said  faintly,  "  do  you  think  he  has  gone 
the  wrong  way?  It  seems  ever  so  long  since  we  left 
the  settlement." 

Okanagan  may  have  heard  her,  though  the  words  were 
almost  indistinguishable.  "  You  lie  right  where  you  are 
for  another  ten  minutes,  and  keep  warm,  miss,"  he  said; 
"  then  I'll  show  you  something." 

228 


THE   AWAKENING 

Alice  Deringham  shivered  all  through.  "  It  is  a  little 
difficult,"  she  said. 

Okanagan  spoke  to  his  horses,  and  after  what  appeared 
an  interminable  time  looked  down  again. 

"  There,"  he  said,  with  a  curious,  almost  silqnt  laugh,  and 
the  girl  saw  a  red  blink  amidst  the  pines  across  the  valley. 
"That's  Somasco." 

Alice  Deringham  let  her  head  drop  back  on  her  father's 
shoulder  with  a  little  sigh.  "  It  seems  a  very  long  way," 
she  said,  "  and  I  am  very  cold." 

It  was  some  time  later  when  the  wagon  stopped  with  a 
jerk,  and  she  roused  herself  as  a  glare  of  light  shone  about 
her.  Voices  came  out  of  it,  somebody  held  out  a  hand, 
and  a  man  whom  she  did  not  recognize  lifted  her  from  the 
wagon.  Then  she  walked  unevenly  into  the  brightness  of 
a  log-walled  hall  and  grew  faint,  while  a  tingling  pain  ran 
through  her  with  the  change  of  temperature.  A  woman 
whom  she  did  not  know  clumsily  took  her  wrappings  from 
her,  and  then  led  her  into  a  room  where  Seaforth  drew  a 
chair  up  to  a  table  beside  the  stove.  Alice  Deringham's 
head  was  throbbing,  but  she  could  see  that  he  was  white 
and  haggard. 

"  How  is  he  ?  "  she  said,  and  the  tingling  pain  grew  more 
pronounced  as  she  waited  the  answer. 

Seaforth's  face  was  very  grave.  "  I  think  it  is  touch  and 
go  with  him — but  if  he  wears  the  night  out  he  may  pull 
through.  It  was  very  good  of  you  to  come." 

Alice  Deringham  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience. 
"  But  there  is  hope  ? "  she  said,  and  her  voice  was  very 
low  and  strained. 

Seaforth  glanced  round  sharply  as  the  woman,  knocking 
over  something,  went  out  of  the  room. 

"  A  little,  I  believe,  if  he  could  sleep,"  he  said  huskily. 
"  The  doctor  is  with  him  now — scarcely  left  him  the  last 
four  days.  We  have  nobody  to  help  us.  Mrs.  Margery 
broke  down.  The  woman  you  saw  is  incapable.  Harry 
has  been  delirious — and  asking  for  you — half  the  time." 

Seaforth  looked  at  his  companion  as  he  spoke,  and  the 
girl  met  his  gaze  directly.  There  was  no  room  for  anything 
but  frankness  at  such  a  time. 

229 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

*  Ah,"  she  said  simply.    "  I  am  glad  I  came." 

Seaforth's  eyes  seemed  to  grow  a  little  misty,  and  Alice 
Deringham,  who  suddenly  looked  aside,  wondered  whether 
it  was  only  the  effect  of  weariness.  Whatever  he  felt,  he, 
however,  quietly  poured  something  into  a  cup  and  handed 
it  to  her.  "  But  you  must  eat,"  he  said. 

Hungry  and  cold  as  she  had  been  the  girl  could  eat  but 
little,  though  the  steaming  liquid  in  the  cup  put  a  little 
life  into  her,  and  presently  she  rose  up  and  shook  off  the 
coarse  shawl  which  somebody  had  wrapped  about  her 
shoulders. 

"  I  am  ready  now,"  she  said. 

Seaforth  glanced  at  her  a  moment  with  open  admiration. 
The  girl  to  hide  her  weariness  stood  very  straight,  and  Alice 
Deringham  knew  how  to  hold  herself.  The  pallor  in  her 
face  intensified  the  little  glow  in  her  eyes  and  the  ruddy 
gleam  of  her  lustrous  hair  under  the  lamplight.  She  was, 
it  seemed  to  him,  almost  splendid  in  her  statuesque  sym- 
metry, but  there  was  also  a  subtle  change  in  her,  and  a  sud- 
den sense  of  confusion  came  upon  him.  He  remembered 
his  previous  distrust  of  her,  and  that  it  was  to  save  his 
comrade  she  had  come. 

"  No,"  he  said  quietly ;  "  you  must  rest  and  sleep  before 
you  go  to  him." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled  a  little,  but  there  was  a  vibration 
in  her  voice  that  stirred  the  man.  "  Do  you  think  I 
could?" 

This  time  there  was  no  mistaking  the  faint  haziness  in 
Seaforth's  eyes.  "  God  bless  you,"  he  said  simply.  "  He 
is  my  friend — and  I  think  you  are  the  only  one  who  can  do 
anything  for  him." 

Alice  Deringham  had  in  her  a  trace  of  greatness  which 
was  instinctive,  and  not  the  result  of  the  training  that 
had  taught  her  serenity.  So,  though  the  man  had  not 
hidden  his  meaning,  she  made  no  protest  nor  asked  any 
question. 

"  All  this  is  new  to  me,"  she  said ;  "  but  I  will  do  the 
best  I  can." 

Seaforth  led  her  into  a  room  where  a  dim  light  was 
burning.  It  was  most  of  it  in  shadow,  but  she  could  see 

230 


THE   AWAKENING 

the  still  form  on  the  bed,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  nothing 
else.  The  face  on  the  pillow  was  very  white  and  hollow, 
the  half-closed  eyes  had  a  curious  glitter,  while  a  lean  hand 
was  clenched  upon  the  coverlet.  Alice  Deringham  had  seen 
very  little  of  suffering  of  any  kind,  and  nothing  of  sickness, 
and  for  a  moment  she  stood  motionless,  horrified  at  the 
sight  of  what  was  left  of  the  man  who  had  parted  from  her 
on  the  verandah  the  incarnation  of  resolute  virility.  As  she 
watched  him  he  moaned  a  little,  and  the  sound,  which  was 
scarcely  human  and  suggested  the  cry  of  some  unreason- 
ing creature  in  pain,  sent  a  thrill  through  her.  Her  eyes 
dimmed  a  little,  and  moving  forward  softly  she  laid  a  cool 
palm  on  the  flushed  forehead. 

"  Don't  you  know  me,  Harry  ?  I  have  come  to  take 
care  of  you,"  she  said. 

The  man's  eyes  opened  wider,  and  though  it  was  evident 
that  there  was  not  complete  comprehension  in  them  he 
sighed  as  with  a  great  contentment.  Then  they  closed 
altogether  as  he  turned  his  head  a  trifle  on  the  pillow. 
The  girl  did  not  move,  but  stood  stooping  a  little,  and 
looking  down  at  him  with  a  great  compassion,  until  a  man 
who  had  been  watching  her  nodded  unseen  to  Seaforth  as 
he  also  bent  over  the  bed.  He  waited  for  almost  a  minute, 
and  then  straightened  himself  wearily  as  he  spoke  in  a  just 
audible  whisper. 

"  Quiet  at  last,  and  sleep  may  come !  Miss  Deringham, 
I  think?"  he  said. 

The  girl  bent  her  head,  and  moved  softly  with  him 
towards  the  door.  "  He  knew  me  ?  "  she  said. 

The  doctor  shook  his  head.  "  No — not  altogether,  I 
think.  Still,  he  is  quiet,  and  that  is  everything.  Now  I 
may  be  wanted — presently — and  for  a  little  there  is  nothing 
I  can  do,  while  Mr.  Seaforth  and  I  have  reached  our  limits. 
If  Alton  opens  his  eyes,  let  him  see  you,  and  you  will  give 
him  the  draught  yonder  in  an  hour  from  now.  It  is  of  vital 
importance  that  he  should  take  it.  If  he  does  not,  tap  on 
the  door  for  me." 

Alice  Deringham  bent  her  head  again,  and,  when  the 
doctor  went  out  with  Seaforth,  sat  down  beside  the  bed. 
Her  fatigue  had  gone  from  her,  and  though  she  had  never 

231 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

done  such  things  before  she  gently  drew  the  coverings 
higher  about  the  man,  and  once  ventured  to  raise  his  head 
a  trifle  and  smooth  down  the  pillow.  Alton  opened  his 
eyes,  and  for  a  moment  they  seemed  to  follow  her,  but  the 
gleam  of  understanding  went  out  of  them  when  she  sat 
down  again.  Then  he  lay  very  still,  and  there  was  an  op- 
pressive quietness  through  which  she  could  hear  the  crackle 
of  the  stove  and  the  night  wind  moaning  about  the  ranch. 
Alton's  eyes  were  shut  now,  and  the  girl  sat  and  watched 
him,  too  intent  almost  to  wonder  at  herself.  This  was  the 
man  she  had  striven  to  despise,  and  yet  she,  who  had  never 
concerned  herself  with  woman's  work  before,  forgot  her 
weariness  as  she  waited  to  minister  to  him.  It  was  but 
little  help  that  she  could  offer — a  gentle  touch  that  checked 
a  restless  movement,  a  wrinkle  smoothed  from  the  pillow — 
but  it  was  done  with  a  great  tenderness,  for  fibres  in  the 
girl's  nature  that  had  lain  silent  long  awoke  that  night  and 
thrilled. 

Now  and  then  Alton  moved  a  little,  and  once  or  twice 
he  moaned.  The  firewood  snapped  and  crackled  in  the 
stove,  the  sigh  of  the  pines  came  up  in  fantastic  cadence 
across  the  clearing,  and  so  while  the  dark  angel  stooped 
above  the  lonely  ranch  the  night  wore  on. 

There  was,  however,  one  man  in  Somasco  ranch  who 
needed  sleep  that  night  and  found  it  fly  from  him.  Dering- 
ham,  who  had  spoken  with  the  doctor,  lay  fully  dressed  in 
an  adjoining  room,  listening  to  the  ticking  of  his  watch, 
and  for  any  sound  that  might  rise  from  beyond  the  cedar 
boarding  where  his  daughter  kept  her  vigil.  He  had 
gathered  that  before  the  morning  Alton  of  Somasco  and 
Carnaby  would  either  have  laid  aside  his  activities  for  ever 
or  be  within  hope  of  recovery,  and  while  Deringham  dare 
not  ask  himself  just  then  whether  he  desired  the  death  of 
his  kinsman,  the  suspense  was  maddening.  If  the  flame  of 
vitality  that  was  flickering  so  feebly  went  out  Carnaby 
would  be  his  daughter's,  and  the  burden  which  almost 
crushed  him  lifted.  If  it  burned  on  there  was  at  the  best  a 
long  struggle  with  adversity  before  him,  and  at  the  worst 
disgrace,  and  possibly  a  prison. 

A  very  little  thing,  he  knew,  would  turn  the  scale,  an 

232 


THE  AWAKENING 

effort  made  in  delirium,  a  draught  that  struck  too  shrewdly 
on  the  fevered  frame,  and  the  issue,  of  stupendous  import- 
ance as  it  was  to  both  of  them,  lay  in  his  daughter's  hands. 
Seaforth  and  the  doctor  slept  the  sleep  of  exhaustion,  and 
Deringham  could  have  laughed  with  bitter  mirljhlessness  at 
the  irony  of  it  all.  Until  she  had  quarrelled  with  her  maid, 
Alice  Deringham  had  apparently  been  incapable  of  putting 
on  her  own  dresses  unassisted,  and  it  seemed  that  the  grim, 
mysterious  destiny  which  treated  men  as  puppets  and 
traversed  all  their  schemes  was  the  one  factor  to  reckon 
with  in  that  comedy.  Deringham,  however,  found  little 
solace  in  such  reflections,  and  could  not  lie  still,  and  rising, 
strained  his  ears  to  listen.  There  was  nothing  but  the 
moaning  of  the  wind,  the  ranch  was  very  still,  and  the 
sound  of  his  watch  grew  maddening.  If  Alton  was  sleep- 
ing now,  Deringham  knew  it  was  ticking  his  last  hold  on 
good  fame  and  fortune  away.  Twice  he  paced  up  and 
down  the  room  with  uncovered  feet,  and  then,  quivering  a 
little  when  the  floor  creaked,  opened  the  door  that  led  into 
the  one  adjoining. 

"Alice,"  he  said,  and,  for  he  had  thrown  off  the  mask 
now,  his  daughter  wondered  at  his  face. 

"  Hush,"  she  said  almost  sternly,  and  then  moved  very 
quietly  away  from  the  bed.  Deringham  came  in  and 
leaned  upon  the  table  beside  her. 

"The  great  question  is  still  unanswered  ? "  he  said. 

His  daughter  bent  her  head,  and  then  looked  at  him 
steadily.  "  I  think  we  shall  know  in  an  hour  or  two.  Is 
it  important  to  you  ?  " 

Deringham,  who  was  not  wholly  master  of  himself,  made 
a  little  grimace,  and  the  girl  glanced  away  from  him  with 
a  curious  shrinking.  Under  stress  of  fatigue  and  anxiety 
the  veneer  had  worn  off  both  of  them,  and  in  that  impres- 
sive hour,  when  the  spirit  is  bound  most  loosely  to  the  clay, 
each  had  seen  something  not  hitherto  suspected  of  the 
other's  inmost  self.  In  the  girl's  case  the  sight  had  been 
painful,  for  all  that  was  good  in  her  had  risen  uppermost 
just  then.  In  Deringham 's  there  was  very  little  but  veneer, 
and  craven  fear  and  avarice  looked  out  through  his  eyes. 

"Yes,"  he  said  in  a  voice  that  was  the  harsher  for  its 

233 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

lowness ;  "  and  to  you.  I  did  not  tell  you,  but  if  that  man 
dies  you  will  be  the  mistress  of  Carnaby." 

Alice  Deringham  made  a  little  half -contemptuous  ges- 
ture of  impatience,  but  the  colour  showed  in  her  cheek. 
"  You  are  over-tired,  father,  or  you  would  not  have  thought 
of  that — just  now." 

Deringham  glanced  at  her  curiously  with  an  unpleasant 
smile.  "  You  apparently  did  not  comprehend  me,"  he  said. 
"  Would  you  be  astonished  to  hear  that  Alton,  who  seems 
to  have  anticipated  disaster,  left  you  Carnaby  by  will  ?  " 

The  girl  rose  and  met  the  man's  gaze  directly,  though 
the  colour  had  crept  beyond  her  cheeks  now.  "  No,"  she 
said  very  quietly;  "though  I  never  thought  of  this.  I 
know  him  better  than  ever  you  could  do.  But  it  is  time  I 
gave  him  the  medicine,  and  you  must  go." 

Deringham  did  not  move,  but  watched  his  daughter  as 
she  took  up  the  glass  and  phial.  "  It  is  important  that  he 
should  have  the  draught  ?  "  he  said. 

"Yes,"  she  said  in  a  voice  that  thrilled  a  little  as  she 
stood  very  straight  before  him.  "  I  think  it  would  make 
all  the  difference  between — a  girl  without  a  dowry,  and  the 
mistress  of  Carnaby." 

Then  she  pointed  as  it  were  commandingly  towards  the 
door,  and  Deringham  went  out  with  a  white  face,  as  though 
she  had  struck  him  upon  it,  while  Alice  Deringham  shivered 
and  sank  down  limply  into  the  chair.  She  sat  still  for  a 
moment  with  eyes  that  shone  mistily  and  a  great  sense  of 
humility,  and  then,  rousing  herself  with  an  effort,  moved 
towards  the  bed  and  touched  the  sick  man  gently.  He 
opened  his  eyes  as  she  did  so,  and  there  was  no  glitter  in 
them  now,  but  a  dawning  comprehension.  He  seemed  to 
smile  a  little  when  she  raised  his  head. 

"  You  must  drink  this,"  she  said. 

Alton  made  a  gesture  of  understanding,  and  drained  the 
glass,  then  let  his  head  fall  back,  and  feebly  stretched  out 
his  hand  until  it  touched  her  fingers.  The  girl  did  not 
move,  and  his  grasp  tightened  suddenly. 

"  Hold  me  fast.    I  am  slipping — slipping  down,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  returned  the  pressure  of  the  clinging 
fingers,  and  as  she  saw  a  curious  unreasoning  confidence 

234 


THE   AWAKENING 

creep  into  the  haggard  face  her  eyes  once  more  shone 
through  a  gathering  mistiness.  "  I  will  hold  you  fast," 
she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  sick  man  in  a  strained  voice.  "  You 
will  not  let  go.  It's  five  hundred  feet  to  the  rjver — in  the 
dark  below.  I'm  slipping,  slipping — no  holding  ,in  the 
snow." 

He  ceased  and  looked  up  at  her  suddenly  as  though  the 
fear  had  left  him,  and  the  girl  said  very  softly,  "  Don't  you 
know  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man.  "  Of  course.  I  was  sliding  back 
into  the  gully,  but  I  knew  you  would  help  me." 

He  stopped  again,  and  the  strained  expression  suddenly 
sank  out  of  his  eyes,  while  the  girl  flushed  to  the  temples 
when  they  met  her  own. 

"  Now,"  he  said  very  softly,  "  I  shall  get  better.  Nothing 
can  stop  me.  You  will  hold  me  fast,  and  not  let  go." 

He  drew  her  towards  him,  and  Alice  Deringham,  seeing 
that  the  brief  flash  of  reason  was  fading  again,  yielded  to 
the  feeble  pressure,  and  sank  to  her  knees  holding  fast  the 
hot  fingers  that  drew  her  hand  to  his  breast.  Then  moved 
by  an  impulse  swift  and  uncontrollable  she  bent  a  little 
farther  and  kissed  him  on  the  cheek.  Alton  said  nothing, 
but  opened  his  eyes  and  smiled  at  her,  and  then  lay  still. 

For  a  space  of  minutes  the  girl  dare  scarcely  breathe. 
Everything,  she  had  been  told,  depended  upon  the  sick 
man  sleeping,  and  now  he  was  very  quiet.  Then  she 
raised  her  head  and  glanced  at  him.  He  had  not  moved 
at  all,  and  his  face  was  tranquil,  but  the  hot  fingers  still 
clung  to  her  hand.  It  was  borne  in  upon  her  that  she  could 
in  verity  draw  him  back  from  the  darkness  he  was  slipping 
into,  and  with  a  great  fear  and  compassion  she  held  the 
hot  fingers  fast.  There  was  no  longer  any  snapping  in  the 
stove.  The  roar  of  the  pines  grew  louder  and  the  room 
grew  cold,  but  while  the  minutes  slipped  by  Alton  slept 
peacefully,  with  the  hand  of  the  woman  he  had  dispossessed 
in  his,  and  she  forgetting  her  fatigue  watched  him  with  eyes 
that  filled  with  tenderness. 

Still,  she  was  not  more  than  a  woman,  and  at  last  the 
eyes  grew  hazy,  while  every  joint  ached.  There  was  a 

235 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

horrible  cramp  in  her  shoulder,  and  to  lessen  it  she  moved 
a  trifle  so  that  her  arm  rested  on  the  pillow.  That  was 
easier,  and  while  she  struggled  with  her  weariness  her  head 
followed  it,  until  it  sank  down  close  by  Alton's  shoulder. 
Then  for  five  minutes  she  fought  with  her  weakness,  and 
was  vanquished,  for  her  head  settled  lower  into  its  resting- 
place,  and  her  eyes  closed. 

It  was  some  little  time  later  when  Seaforth  came  very 
softly  into  the  room,  and  stopped  with  a  little  gasp.  He 
could  just  see  his  comrade's  face,  and  it  was  still  and  serene, 
but  there  was  a  gleam  of  red-gold  hair  beside  it  on  the 
coverlet,  and  now  a  shapely  arm  was  flung  protectingly 
about  the  sick  man's  shoulder.  The  girl  was  also  very 
still,  and  a  little  flush  of  colour  crept  into  Seaforth's  face 
as  he  stooped  above  her  and  saw  the  clasped  hands. 

"Thank  God!"  he  said. 

Then  he  moved  backwards  on  tiptoe  towards  Dering- 
ham's  room,  but  apparently  changed  his  intention,  and  pres- 
ently knocked  at  the  doctor's  door. 

"  Time's  up,  and  I  thought  I'd  better  rouse  you,"  he  said. 
"  Shall  I  go  in,  and  look  at  your  patient?  " 

The  doctor  rose  up  fully  dressed,  and  Seaforth.  who 
watched  him  enter  the  other  room,  nodded  to  himself, 
while  the  man  he  had  left  stooped  above  the  sleeping  pair 
and  smiled  with  a  great  contentment.  He  had  done  what 
he  could,  but  he  knew  that  a  greater  power  than  any  he 
wielded  had  driven  back  the  dark  angel  which  had  stooped 
above  the  sick  man's  bed. 

The  sun  was  in  the  heavens  when,  finding  other  pro- 
cedure unavailing,  he  gently  touched  the  girl,  and  Alice 
Deringham  rose  silently  and  turned  to  him  some  moments 
later  almost  proudly  with  a  soft  glow  in  her  cheeks,  and  a 
question  in  her  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  doctor,  smiling.  "  I  fancy  we  have  seen 
the  worst." 

Then  the  girl's  strength  went  from  her,  and  she  caught 
at  the  rail  of  the  bed,  shivering,  until  the  man  touched  her 
arm  and  led  her  from  the  room.  "  You  have  done  a  great 
deal,  I  think,  and  must  sleep,"  he  said. 

It  was  afternoon  when  Alice  Deringham  resumed  her 

236 


THE   AWAKENING 

watch,  and  she  met  Seaforth  on  her  way  to  the  sick  man's 
room. 

"  I  want  to  thank  you,  Miss  Deringham.  He  is  my 
partner,  and  the  only  friend  I  have,"  he  said,  with  a  slight 
huskiness. 

The  girl  regarded  him  steadily.    "  You  mean  it?  " 

Seaforth  winced  a  little.    "  Yes,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  still  fixed  her  eyes  upon  him.  "  And 
yet  you  distrusted  me  once  ?  " 

Seaforth's  face  was  haggard,  but  it  was  less  pale  than  it 
had  been  when  he  bent  his  head.  "  I  can  only  throw 
myself  on  your  mercy.  I  was  more  of  a  fool  than  usual 
then." 

Alice  Deringham  laughed  softly  but  graciously.  "  I  could 
not  blame  you — and  you  may  have  been  right,"  she  said. 

Then  she  passed  into  the  room,  and  saw  the  light  creep 
into  Alton's  eyes,  which  had  apparently  been  fixed  upon 
the  door.  Her  blood  tingled  and  her  neck  grew  hot,  for  it 
was  evident  that  while  his  mind  was  clear  at  last  he  re- 
membered a  little. 

"  The  river  is  farther  away  now,  but  I  want  you  still," 
he  said. 


237 


HALLAM     TRIES     AGAIN 

THERE  was  frost  in  the  valley  when  one  clear  morning 
Alton  lay  partly  dressed  in  a  big  chair  beside  the  stove  at 
Somasco  ranch.  Outside  the  snow  lay  white  on  the  clear- 
ing, and  the  great  pines  rose  above  it  sombre  and  motionless 
under  the  sunlight  that  had  no  warmth  in  it,  while  the 
peaks  beyond  them  shone  with  a  silvery  lustre  against  the 
cloudless  blue.  It  was  a  day  to  set  the  blood  stirring  and 
rouse  the  vigour  of  the  strong,  and  Alton'  felt  the  effect  of 
it  as  he  lay  listening  to  the  rhythmic  humming  of  the  saws. 
The  sound  spoke  of  activity,  and  raising  himself  a  trifle  in 
his  chair  he  glanced  at  his  partner  with  a  faint  sparkle  in 
his  eye. 

"  It's  good  to  feel  alive  again,"  he  said. 

Seaforth's  smile  was  somewhat  forced,  for  he  had  reason 
for  dreading  the  moment  when  his  comrade  would  take  an 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  life  again.  There  was  something 
that  Alton  must  know,  and  glancing  at  his  hollow  face  he 
shrank  from  telling  him. 

The  struggle  had  been  a  long  one,  for  fever  had  once 
more  seized  Alton  when  he  was  apparently  on  the  way  to 
recovery,  and  there  had  been  times  when  it  seemed  to 
Seaforth  that  two  angels  kept  the  long  night  watches  with 
him  beside  his  comrade's  bed.  One  was  terrible  and  shad- 
owy, and  stooped  lower  and  lower  and  above  the  scarcely 
breathing  form;  the  other  bright  and  beautiful,  an  angel 
of  tenderness  and  mercy,  and  if  Seaforth  was  fanciful  there 
were  excuses  for  him.  His  endurance  had  been  strained 
to  the  uttermost  as  day  and  night  he  kept  his  vigil,  while 
the  humanity  of  the  girl  who  watched  with  him  had  be- 
come etherealized  until  her  beauty  was  almost  spiritual. 
The  coldness  had  gone  out  of  it,  and  now  and  then  it 

238 


HALLAM    TRIES    AGAIN 

seemed  to  the  worn-out  man  that  a  faint  reflection  of  a 
light  that  is  not  kindled  in  this  world  shone  through  the 
pity  in  her  eyes.  That  spark  was  all  that  had  been  lacking, 
and  Seaforth,  who  had  doubted,  bent  his  head  in  homage 
when  it  came,  for  it  appeared  to  him  that  in  sloughing  off 
her  pride  and  becoming  wholly  womanly  the  girl  had 
reached  out  in  her  gentleness  and  compassion  towards  the 
divine.  When  at  last  the  turning  had  been  passed,  and 
Alice  Deringham  went  down  with  her  father  for  a  brief 
rest  to  Vancouver,  she  took  Seaforth's  limitless  respect  and 
gratitude  with  her,  though  it  occurred  to  him  that  she  had 
gone  somewhat  suddenly  as  though  anxious  to  escape  from 
the  ranch.  They  were,  however,  to  return  that  evening. 

"  I  talked  a  good  deal,  Charley,  when  I  was  sick?"  said 
Alton. 

Seaforth  smiled  dryly.  "  There  is  no  use  in  denying  it, 
because  you  did,"  he  said. 

Alton's  face  grew  clouded.  "  I'd  have  bitten  my  tongue 
right  through  if  I'd  known.  There  were  one  or  two  things 
I'd  been  through  that  would  come  back  to  me,  things  one 
would  sooner  forget." 

Seaforth  appeared  thoughtful,  but  evidently  decided  that 
frankness  was  best.  "  There  certainly  were  occasions  when 
your  recollections  were  somewhat  realistic." 

Alton  groaned,  and  his  face  was  a  study  of  consternation. 
"  Lord,  what  brutes  we  are,"  he  said.  "  There  was  the 
trouble  over  the  Bluebird  claim  down  in  Washington.  Did 
I  talk  about  that?" 

Seaforth  crossed  over  and  sat  down  on  the  arm  of  his 
comrade's  chair.  His  expression  was  somewhat  whimsical, 
but  there  was  a  suggestion  of  tenderness  in  his  eyes,  for 
he  saw  the  direction  in  which  Alton's  thoughts  were  tend- 
ing, and  that  he  should  speak  of  such  matters  to  him  be- 
tokened the  closeness  of  the  bond  between  them. 

"  I  don't  think  you  need  worry  about  it,  Harry,"  he  said. 

"  No  ?  "  said  Alton  sternly.  "  Are  those  the  things  you 
would  like  a  dainty  English  lady  who  knows  nothing  of 
what  we  have  to  do  now  and  then  to  hear  ?  " 

Seaforth  smiled  again  as  he  said,  "  Miss  Deringham 
struck  me  as  an  especially  sensible  young  woman.  Now 

239 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

you  need  not  get  savage,  for  I  am  speaking  respectfully, 
but  I  fancy  that  Miss  Deringham  knows  almost  as  much 
about  the  ins  and  outs  of  life  as  many  bush  ranchers  of 
seventy.  Young  women  brought  up  as  she  has  been  in  the 
old  country  not  infrequently  do,  and  as  it  happened  you 
mentioned  nothing  about  that  last  affair  in  the  bush ;  while 
though  one  or  two  incidents  were  somewhat  startling,  there 
are,  I  fancy,  girls  in  the  old  country  who  would  be  rather 
inclined  to  look  with  approval  on — the  type  of  man  she 
might  have  reason  for  supposing  you  to  be.  In  any  case, 
there  was  no  word  of  any  other  woman." 

Alton  drew  in  his  breath.  "  No,"  he  said  simply.  "  Thank 
God,  there  never  was  another." 

Seaforth's  expression  perplexed  his  comrade,  and  his 
voice  was  a  trifle  strained.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  That  is  a 
good  deal  to  be  thankful  for,  Harry." 

Alton  looked  at  him  thoughtfully  in  silence  for  a  space. 
Then  he  said,  "  I  never  asked  you  any  questions  about  the 
old  country,  Charley,  and  I  don't  mean  to  now,  but  I  have 
fancied  now  and  then  that  you  brought  out  some  trouble 
along  with  you." 

Seaforth  glanced  down  at  his  comrade,  smiling  curiously. 
"  I  may  tell  you  sometime — but  not  now.  You  do  well 
to  be  thankful,  Harry,  and  do  you  believe  that  any  woman 
would  thinl:  the  worse  of  you  because  you  cut  down  the 
man  who  meant  to  take  your  life,  you  big,  great-natured 
fool." 

Alton  sighed.  "Well,"  he  said  very  slowly,  "perhaps 
.  it  is  better  over,  because  that  and  other  things  would  have 
to  be  told ;  but  though  I  had  only  an  axe  against  his  pistol 
I  can't  get  that  man's  face  out  of  my  memory." 

Seaforth's  face  was  somewhat  awry  just  then.  "  You  can 
tell  your  story  without  a  blush — if  you  think  it  necessary, 
but  I  have  not  the  courage  to  tell  mine — and  the  silence 
may  cost  me  very  dear,"  he  said. 

Alton  seemed  a  trifle  bewildered.  "When  you  can  I'll 
listen,  but  there's  nothing  you  could  tell  me  would  make 
any  difference  between  you  and  me." 

Seaforth  langhed  mirthlessly.  "  I'm  glad  of  that,  but  it 
wasn't  you  I  was  thinking  of  just  then,"  he  said.  "  Still  it 

240 


HALLAM    TRIES    AGAIN 

seems  to  me  that  we  are  both  a  little  off  our  balance  this 
morning,  and  may  be  sorry  for  it  afterwards." 

Alton  rose  up  and  moved  somewhat  stiffly  towards  the 
window,  where  he  leaned  against  the  log  casing,  looking 
out  greedily  upon  the  sunlit  valley.  Then  he  pimped  back 
to  the  table  and  rested  both  hands  upon  it. 

"  I  figure  it's  because  I  haven't  used  it,  but  this  leg  doesn't 
feel  the  same  as  it  used  to,"  he  said.  "  Did  it  strike  you 
that  I  walked  kind  of  stiffly  ?  " 

Seaforth  knew  that  the  moment  he  feared  had  come,  but 
he  felt  his  courage  fail  him  and  turned  his  head  aside.  "  I 
was  not  watching  you,"  he  said. 

Alton,  who  appeared  a  trifle  perturbed,  sat  down,  and 
glanced  at  the  partly  finished  meal  upon  the  table  dis- 
gustedly. "  Tell  them  to  take  those  things  away,  and  bring 
me  something  a  man  can  eat.  Then  I  want  my  long  boots 
and  the  nicest  clothes  I  have." 

"  They  will  not  be  much  use  to  you.  You're  not  going 
out  for  another  week,  anyway." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  we'll  see.  Bring 
me  a  good  solid  piece  of  venison,  and  take  those  things 
away." 

He  made  an  ample  meal,  dressed  himself  with  wholly 
unusual  fastidiousness,  and  when  Seaforth  left  him  for  a 
few  moments  strode  out  of  the  room.  One  leg  felt  very 
stiff  and  he  clutched  the  balustrade  a  moment  when  he 
came  to  the  head  of  a  short  stairway,  then  stiffened  himself, 
and,  putting  all  the  weight  he  could  on  the  limb  that  was 
least  useful,  stepped  forward  resolutely  to  descend  it.  His 
knee  bent  suddenly  under  him,  he  clutched  at  the  rails,  and 
missed  them,  reeled  and  lost  his  balance,  and  there  was  a 
crash  as  Seaforth  sprang  out  of  his  room.  He  was  in  time 
to  see  his  comrade  rise  and  lean  against  the  logs  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairway  very  white  and  grim  in  face,  and  shivered 
a  little  as  he  went  down. 

"  What's  the  meaning  of  this,  Charley  ?  "  said  Alton  with 
an  ominous  quietness.  "  I  just  put  my  weight  on  my  left 
foot — and  down  I  came." 

Again  Seaforth  shrank  from  his  task.  "  You  were  warned 
not  to  try  to  walk  much  for  a  week  or  two." 

241 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  Pshaw !  "  said  Alton  with  sudden  fierceness.  "  There  is 
more  than  that." 

Seaforth  laid  his  hand  compassionately  upon  his  com- 
rade's shoulder.  "  It  had  to  come  sooner  or  later — and  I 
was  afraid  to  tell  you  before.  You  will  never  walk  quite 
as  well  as  you  used  to,  Harry." 

Alton  clutched  the  balustrade,  and  a  greyness  crept  into 
his  face.  "  I,"  he  said  very  slowly,  "  a  cripple — all  my 
life!" 

Seaforth  said  nothing,  and  there  was  a  silence  for  almost 
a  minute  until  Alton  slowly  straightened  himself.  "  Well," 
he  said  quietly,  "  there  is  no  use  kicking — but  this  was  to 
have  been  the  best  day  of  my  life." 

Seaforth  understood  him  and  saw  his  opportunity.  "  I 
don't  think  that  will  make  any  difference,  Harry." 

Alton  seemed  to  choke  down  a  groan.  "  I  had  so  little 
before,"  he  said. 

Again  Seaforth  laid  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  "  Shake 
yourself  together,  Harry.  After  all,  I  don't  think  it  is  the 
things  that  one  can  offer  which  count,"  he  said.  "  Let  me 
help  you  back." 

Alton  resolutely  shook  off  his  grasp,  and  moved  very 
slowly  and  stiffly  towards  the  living-room.  "  No,"  he  said. 
"  I'm  not  going  back  there  any  more.  Get  me  a  big  black 
cigar,  Charley — and  then  go  right  away." 

Seaforth  did  as  he  was  bidden,  for  there  were  many  things 
which  demanded  his  attention,  but  he  glanced  at  his  com- 
rade as  he  went  out,  and  the  sight  of  the  gaunt  figure  sit- 
ting very  grim  and  straight  in  a  chair  by  the  window  would 
return  long  afterwards  to  his  memory. 

"  He  takes  it  badly — and  a  little  while  ago  I  should  have 
thought  he  was  right,"  he  said. 

It  was  several  hours  later  when  Seaforth  returned  to  the 
house,  and  found  Mrs.  Margery  in  a  state  of  conster- 
nation. 

"Where's  Harry?  "he  said. 

'  'Way  down  to  the  settlement,"  said  the  woman.  "  Okan- 
agan  was  fool  enough  to  hoist  him  on  a  horse,  and  though 
I  talked  half-an-hour  solid  I  couldn't  stop  him." 

Seaforth  smiled  dryly.     "  I  scarcely  think  you  could. 

243 


HALLAM    TRIES    AGAIN 

Harry  is  himself  again.  What  has  taken  him  to  the  set- 
tlement, anyway  ?  " 

The  woman  glanced  at  him  contemptuously.  "  All  men 
are  fools,"  said  she.  "  He  went  to  meet  that  girl  from  the 
old  country,  and  find  out  his  mistake."  i 

Seaforth  said  nothing,  but  went  out  in  haste  and  saddled 
a  horse,  for  although  it  had  been  apparent  to  him  that 
there  was  no  affection  wasted  between  Alice  Deringham 
and  Mrs.  Margery,  her  words  had  left  him  with  a  vague 
uneasiness. 

In  the  meantime  Alton  dropped  very  stiffly  from  the 
saddle  in  front  of  Horton's  hotel,  and,  limping  up  the  stair- 
way, found  the  man  who  kept  it  upon  the  verandah. 

"  Glad  to  see  you  coming  round,  Harry ;  but  you're 
looking  very  white,  and  walking  kind  of  stiff,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  dryly.  "  I  shall  probably  walk  just 
that  way  all  my  life." 

Horton  made  no  attempt  to  condole  with  him.  He  knew 
Alton  tolerably  well,  and  felt  that  any  sympathy  he  could 
offer  would  be  inadequate.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "here's  a 
letter  Thomson  brought  you  in  from  the  railroad." 

Alton  tore  open  the  envelope,  and  read  the  message  with 
a  faint  relief,  for  it  was  from  Deringham,  and  stated  that  an 
affair  of  business  would  prevent  him  returning  to  Somasco 
for  some  little  time.  Then  he  remembered  that  to  delay 
a  question  which  must  be  asked  would  but  prolong  the 
suspense. 

"  I'm  going  through  to  the  railroad,  but  the  ride  has 
shaken  me,  and  I'll  lie  down  and  sleep  a  while,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Horton,  "  you  know  best,  but  you  look  a 
long  way  more  fit  to  be  sitting  beside  the  stove  up  there 
at  the  ranch.  That  was  a  tolerably  bad  accident  you 
had?" 

Alton  glanced  at  him  sharply,  but  his  voice  was  in- 
different as  he  answered.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  came  to  grief  bring- 
ing in  a  deer,  and  lay  out  in  the  frost  a  good  while  before 
they  found  me.  Have  you  had  many  strangers  round 
here?" 

Horton  nodded.  "  The  bush  is  just  full  of  them — looking 
for  timber  rights  and  prospecting  round  the  Crown  lands — 

243 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Hallam's  friends,  I  think.  There  was  one  of  them  seemed 
kind  of  anxious  about  you  lately. ' 

Alton's  eyes  grew  a  trifle  keener,  but  he  was  shaken  and 
weary,  and  made  a  little  gesture  which  seemed  to  indicate 
that  he  would  ask  questions  later. 

"  You'll  give  the  horse  a  light  feed,  and  let  me  know 
when  supper's  on,"  he  said. 

It  was  dark  when  he  mounted  with  Horton's  assistance, 
and  the  horse  plunged  once  or  twice.  Then  it  started  at 
a  gallop,  and  Alton  had  some  difficulty  in  pulling  it  up, 
for  the  snow  was  beaten  down  and  the  trail  was  good. 
He  had  not  been  gone  half-an-hour  when  Seaforth,  whose 
horse  was  smoking,  swung  himself  down  before  the  hotel. 

"  Where's  Harry?  "  he  said. 

"  On  the  trail,"  said  Horton.  "  I  wanted  to  keep  him, 
but  he  lit  out  a  little  while  ago,  and  borrowed  a  rifle.  What 
he  wanted  it  for  I  don't  know,  but  he  wouldn't  be  lonely, 
anyway.  One  of  the  boys  who  was  staying  here  pulled  out 
for  the  railroad  just  before  him." 

"  Did  you  know  the  man  ?  "  asked  Seaforth  with  unusual 
sharpness. 

"  No,"  said  Horton.  "  He  was  timber-righting,  but  I'd 
a  kind  of  fancy  I'd  once  seen  somebody  very  like  him 
working  round  Somasco." 

Seaforth  said  nothing  further,  but  swung  himself  into 
the  saddle  and  rode  off  at  a  gallop.  He  had  been  unsettled 
all  day,  and  now  it  was  with  vague  apprehensions  he  sent 
his  heels  home  and  shook  the  bridle. 

In  the  meantime  Alton  was  riding  almost  as  fast,  though 
the  saddle  galled  him  and  he  was  stiff  and  aching.  His 
senses  also  grew  a  trifle  lethargic  under  the  frost,  but  he 
knew  there  would  be  little  rest  for  him  until  he  reached 
Vancouver,  and  strove  to  shake  off  his  weakness.  The 
horse  was,  however,  unusually  restive,  and  would  at  times 
break  into  a  gallop  in  spite  of  him  where  the  trail  was 
level,  but  Alton,  who  fancied  there  was  something  troubling 
the  beast,  was  more  than  a  little  dubious  of  his  ability  to 
mount  again  if  he  got  out  of  the  saddle.  Until  that  day 
he  had  not  ventured  outside  the  ranch. 

The  shadowy  pines  flitted  by  him,  here  and  there  the 

244 


HALLAM    TRIES    AGAIN 

moon  shone  down,  and  the  drumming  of  hoofs  rang  muffled 
by  the  snow  through  a  great  silence  which  was  curiously 
emphasized  when  twice  a  wolf  howled.  Still,  plunging 
and  snorting  now  and  then,  the  beast  held  pluckily  on 
while  the  miles  melted  behind  them,  and  midnight  was 
past  when  Alton  turning,  half-asleep,  in  his  saddle,  fancied 
he  heard  somebody  riding  behind  him.  For  a  moment 
his  fingers  tightened  on  the  bridle,  but  his  hearing  was 
dulled  by  weakness  and  the  numbing  cold,  and  pressing 
his  heels  home  he  rode  on  into  the  darkness. 

It  would  probably  have  occurred  to  him  at  any  other 
time  that  the  beast  responded  with  suspicious  readiness, 
but  his  perceptions  were  not  of  the  clearest  just  then,  which 
was  unfortunate,  because  the  trail  led  downwards  steeply 
through  black  darkness  along  the  edge  of  a  ravine.  The 
rain  had  also  washed  parts  of  it  away,  and  no  ray  of 
moonlight  pierced  the  vaulted  roof  of  cedar-sprays.  The 
drumming  of  hoofs  rolled  along  it,  there  was  a  hoarse 
growling  far  down  in  the  darkness  below,  and  Alton  strove 
to  rouse  himself,  knowing  that  a  stumble  might  result  in 
a  plunge  down  the  declivity.  He  could  dimly  see  the 
great  trunks  stream  past  him  on  the  one  hand,  but  there 
was  only  a  gulf  of  shadow  on  the  other. 

Suddenly  a  flash  of  light  sprang  up  almost  under  the 
horse's  feet.  The  beast  flung  its  head  up,  and  next  mo- 
ment they  were  flying  at  a  gallop  down  the  winding  and 
almost  precipitous  trail.  Alton's  strength  had  not  returned 
to  him,  and  he  set  his  lips,  realizing  the  uselessness  of  it 
as  he  shifted  his  numbed  hands  on  the  bridle.  Twice  the 
horse  stumbled,  but  picked  up  its  stride  again,  and  the 
man  had  almost  commenced  to  hope  they  might  reach 
the  foot  of  the  declivity  when  it  stumbled  once  more,  struck 
a  young  fir,  and  reeled  downwards  from  the  trail. 

It  all  happened  in  a  moment,  but  there  was  just  time 
enough  for  Alton  to  clear  his  feet  from  his  stirrups,  and 
though  he  was  never  quite  sure  what  next  he  did  he  found 
himself  sitting  in  the  snow,  shaken  and  dazed  by  his  fall, 
while  the  horse  rolled  downwards  through  the  shadows 
beneath  him.  He  heard  the  brushwood  crackle,  and  then 
a  curiously  sickening  thud  as  though  something  soft  had 

245 


ALTON   OF,   SOMASCO 

fallen  from  a  height  upon  a  rock.  After  that  there  was 
an  oppressive  silence  save  for  a  faint  drumming  that  grew 
louder  down  the  trail. 

Alton  unslung  the  rifle  which  still  hung  behind  him,  and 
crawled  behind  a  big  hemlock  that  grew  out  of  the  slope. 
He  could  hear  nothing  but  the  increasing  thud  of  hoofs 
for  a  while,  and  then  there  was  a  sound  that  suggested 
stealthy  footsteps  in  the  darkness  up  the  trail.  Alton 
crouched  very  still  and  waited,  but  the  footsteps  came  no 
nearer,  and  then  pitching  up  the  rifle  fired  in  their  direction 
at  a  venture.  The  sound  ceased  suddenly,  and  while  the 
great  trunks  flung  back  the  concussion  it  was  evident 
that  the  rider  was  coming  on  at  a  furious  gallop,  and 
Alton  rising  sent  out  a  hoarse  cry,  "  Pull  him  before  you 
come  to  the  edge  of  the  dip !  " 

The  beat  of  hoofs  sank  into  silence,  and  a  shout  came 
down.  "Hallo.  Is  that  you,  Harry?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.    "  Lead  your  beast  down." 

It  was  five  minutes  later  when  Seaforth  found  him 
leaning  against  a  tree  with  the  rifle  in  his  hand. 

"  What  was  the  shooting  for,  and  where's  your  horse  ?  " 
said  he. 

Alton  appeared  to  laugh  softly  and  venomously,  and  his 
voice  jarred  upon  the  listener.  "  Down  there,  and  stone 
dead.  The  last  drop's  most  of  a  hundred  feet,"  he  said. 

"But  how  did  he  get  there?"  and  Seaforth  felt  a  little 
chill  strike  through  him. 

Alton  grasped  his  arm,  and  his  voice  was  harsher  still. 
"  This  is  the  second  time/' 

"  Good  Lord ! "  said  Seaforth,  who  understood  him, 
huskily. 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  I  think  the  thing's  quite  plain.  If 
we  could  get  down  to  the  poor  beast  I  figure  we'd  find 
something  that  had  no  business  there  under  the  girth  or 
saddle.  The  rest  is  simpler — a  little  coal  oil  or  giant 
powder,  and — just  at  the  turning  yonder — a  lariat  across 
the  trail.  That  man  knows  his  business,  Charley." 

"  Good  Lord !  "  said  Seaforth  once  more.  "  It's  devilish, 
Harry.  You're  not  going  to  tell  anybody,  and  repeat  the 
mistake  you  made  ?  " 

246 


HALLAM    TRIES    AGAIN 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  grimly.  "  That's  just  what  I  figure 
on  doing." 

"  But,"  and  Seaforth's  horror  was  evident,  "  he  may  try 
again.  There  are  more  than  the  Somasco  ranchers  who 
would  be  sorry  if — he  was  successful — Harry." 

Alton  laughed,  but  the  grating  cachination  se*nt  a  shiver 
through  his  companion.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  think  he 
will,  and  that's  why  I'm  waiting.  He  may  give  himself 
away  the  third  time,  and  then  it  will  be  either  him  or  me." 

Seaforth  stood  silent  for  almost  a  minute.  "  If  you 
would  only  listen  to  me — but  of  course  you  will  not.  Can't 
you  see  that  you  are  in  the  way  of  somebody  who  stands 
behind  that  man  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  Alton's  smile  was  now  quietly  grim.  "  It 
don't  take  much  genius  to  figure  out  that.  Before  I'm 
through  I'll  know  just  who  he  is,  and  all  about  him." 

Once  more  Seaforth  was  silent  a  space.  Then  he  spoke 
very  slowly.  "  Are  you  sure  you're  wise  ?  " 

Alton  gripped  his  comrade's  arm  so  that  he  winced  with 
pain.  "  It's  the  second  time  you've  asked  me  that,"  he 
said.  "  There  will  not  be  room  for  you  and  me  in  this 
province  if  you  ask  it  me  again." 

Seaforth  shook  his  grasp  off.  "  You  are  my  partner, 
Harry,  and  the  only  friend  I  have.  God  send  you  safe 
through  with  it.  Now  is  there  any  use  in  looking  for  the 
fellow  with  the  lariat?" 

"  No,"  said  Alton  in  his  usual  voice.  "  There  isn't.  He 
would  have  been  waiting  up  there  ready  to  whip  the  thing 
away,  and  by  this  time  he  has  doubled  back  down  the 
trail.  If  you  met  a  man  riding  along  quietly  what  could 
you  do  to  him  ?  " 

"  It's  devilish,"  said  Seaforth,  as  a  fit  of  impotent  anger 
shook  him. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Alton  languidly.  "  Still,  there  isn't  much 
use  in  slinging  names,  and  I'm  kind  of  tired.  Help  me  up 
into  your  saddle,  and  lead  the  beast  by  the  bridle.  We'll 
head  for  Gordon's." 


247 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ALTON   IS  SILENT 

THERE  is  a  ridge  of  rising  ground  on  the  outskirts  of 
Vancouver  City  where  a  few  years  ago  a  pretty  wooden 
house  stood  beneath  the  pines.  They  rose  sombrely  behind 
it,  but  the  axe  had  let  in  the  sunlight  between  the  rise  and 
the  water,  and  one  could  look  out  from  the  trim  garden 
across  the  blue  inlet  towards  the  ranges'  snow.  To-day  one 
would  in  all  probability  look  for  that  dwelling  in  vain,  and 
find  only  stores  or  great  stone  buildings,  for  as  the  silent 
men  with  the  axes  push  the  lonely  clearings  farther  back  into 
the  forest  the  Western  cities  grow,  and  those  who  dwell  in 
them  increase  in  riches,  which  is  not  usually  the  case  with 
the  axeman  who  goes  on  farther  into  the  bush  again. 

Still,  one  moonlight  evening  when  Alton  waited  upon 
its  verandah,  cigar  in  hand,  the  house  stood  upon  the 
hillside,  picturesque  with  its  painted  scroll-work,  green 
shutters,  colonnades  of  cedar  pillars,  and  broad  verandahs. 
Its  owner  was  an  Englishman  who  had  prospered  in  the 
Dominion,  and  combined  the  kindliness  he  still  retained  for 
his  countrymen  with  the  lavish  hospitality  of  the  West.  He 
knew  Alton  by  reputation,  and  having  business  with  him 
had  made  him  free  of  his  house  when  he  inquired  for 
Deringham,  who  was  his  guest,  during  the  former's  absence 
in  the  State  of  Washington.  That  was  how  Alton  came  to 
be  waiting  for  dinner  in  company  with  a  young  naval 
officer.  Deringham  and  his  daughter  had  returned  during 
the  day,  but  they  had  driven  somewhere  with  their  hostess 
and  not  come  back  as  yet. 

Alton  had  seen  Commander  Thorne  for  the  first  time 
that  day,  but  some  friendships  are  made  rapidly  and  with- 
out an  effort,  and  he  was  already  sensible  of  a  regard  for 
his  companion.  He  was  a  quiet  and  unobtrusive  English- 
man, with  the  steadiness  of  gaze  and  decisiveness  of  speech 

248 


ALTON   IS   SILENT 

which  characterized  those  who  command  at  sea,  and  had 
discovered  that  he  had,  notwithstanding  the  difference  in 
their  vocations,  much  in  common  with  rancher  Alton. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  It  is  very  good  of  you,  and  if  we  stay 
at  Esquimault  I  will  come  up  and  spend  a  day  or  two 
among  the  deer.  Atkinson  told  us  what  a  good  time  he 
had  with  you,  but  we  were  a  trifle  astonished  to  see  the 
fine  wapiti  head  he  brought  back  with  him." 

There  was  a  faint  twinkle  in  the  speaker's  eyes  which 
Alton  understood,  for  Atkinson,  who  was  not  an  adept  at 
trailing  deer,  had  shot  more  than  a  wapiti.  Still,  he  was 
not  the  man  to  allude  to  the  misadventures  of  his  guest. 

"  He  killed  it  neatly — a  good  hundred  yards,  and  in  the 
fern,"  he  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Thome  with  a  little  laugh,  "  you  were 
with  him,  and  know  best.  You  had,  however,  a  tolerably 
mixed  bag  on  that  occasion  ?  " 

Alton  checked  a  smile.  "A  wapiti,  a  wood  deer — and 
sundries." 

Thorne  laughed  again.  "  I  wonder  if  you  have  forgotten 
the  hog?  You  see,  Atkinson  told  us  one  night  at  mess, 
and  I  was  inclined  to  fancy  he  came  near  including  you 
in  the  bag." 

Alton's  face  was  suspiciously  grave,  but  his  answer 
strengthened  the  incipient  friendship  between  the  men. 

"  It  is  a  little  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  distinguish  things 
in  the  bush." 

Thorne  nodded.  "  You  had  Deringham  and  Miss  Dering- 
ham  staying  with  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  They  are  connections  of  mine, 
and  Miss  Deringham  did  a  good  deal  for  me  when  I  was 
sick  a  little  while  ago.  You  knew  them  in  the  old 
country  ?  " 

There  was,  though  he  strove  to  suppress  it,  something 
in  his  voice  which  caused  the  naval  officer  to  glance  at 
him  sharply.  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  said.  "  I  knew  them— 
rather  well." 

The  men's  eyes  met,  and  both  were  conscious  that  the 
words  might  have  been  amplified,  while  it  was  with  a  slight 
abruptness  they  returned  to  the  previous  topic  and  dis- 

249 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

cussed  it  until  there  was  a  rattle  of  wheels  in  the  drive. 
Then  Forel,  their  host,  came  out  upon  the  verandah,  and 
there  was  a  hum  of  voices  as  several  people  descended 
from  the  vehicle  beneath. 

Mrs.  Forel  came  up  the  stairway  first  with  Alice  Dering- 
ham,  and  when  a  blaze  of  light  shone  into  the  verandah 
from  the  open  door  Alton  saw  the  girl  draw  back  for  a 
second  as  her  eyes  rested  upon  his  companion.  She,  how- 
ever, smiled  next  moment,  and  Alton  did  not  miss  the  slight 
flush  of  pleasure  in  the  face  of  Commander  Thome.  He 
was  also  to  meet  with  another  astonishment,  for  Deringham 
and  Seaforth  came  up  the  stairway  next  together,  and 
Thorne  dropped  his  cigar  when  he  and  the  latter  stood  face 
to  face. 

"  Charley!    Is  it  you?  "  he  said. 

Seaforth  stood  quite  still  a  moment  looking  at  him,  and 
then,  being  possibly  sensible  that  other  eyes  were  upon 
him  shook  hands. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  I  heard  the  gunboat  was  at  Esqui- 
mault,  but  did  not  expect  to  see  you." 

Then  there  was  a  somewhat  awkward  silence,  and  Alton 
fancied  that  both  men  were  relieved  when  Mrs.  Forel's 
voice  broke  in,  "Jack,  you  will  look  after  the  men,  but 
don't  keep  them  talking  too  long.  We  picked  up  Mr.  Sea- 
forth, and  there  are  one  or  two  more  of  our  friends 
coming." 

Alton  followed  his  host,  wondering  at  what  he  had  seen. 
It  was  evident  that  Miss  Deringham  had  not  noticed  him, 
and  he  fancied  she  had  been  fcr  a  moment  almost  em- 
barrassed by  the  encounter  with  Thorne.  That  and  what 
the  man  had  told  him  had  its  meaning.  He  had  also  noticed 
that  when  the  latter  greeted  his  comrade  there  had  been  a 
constraint  upon  both  of  them,  but  decided  that  what  it  be- 
tokened did  not  concern  him. 

Returning  he  found  Mrs.  Forel  waiting  for  him,  and 
having  been  born  in  a  Western  city  her  conversation  was 
not  marked  by  English  reticence  or  the  restraint  which  is 
at  least  as  common  in  the  Canadian  bush. 

"Dinner  is  ready,  and  you  will  have  to  talk  to  me  and 
the  railroad  man  during  it,"  she  said.  "  I  had  thought  of 

250 


ALTON   IS   SILENT 

making  you  over  to  Miss  Deringham  until  Commander 
Thorne  turned  up.  Jack  and  he  are  great  friends,  but  he 
didn't  seem  able  to  get  over  here,  until  he  heard  Miss 
Deringham  was  staying  with  us." 

Altorf  laughed  a  little.  "  Now  what  am  I  to  answer  to 
that?  Miss  Deringham  was  very  good  to  me." 

The  lady  fancied  that  his  merriment  was  a  trifle  forced. 
"  You  will  just  sit  down,  and  eat  your  dinner  like  a  sensible 
man,"  she  said.  "  You  are  a  Canadian  and  not  expected 
to  say  nice  things  like  those  others  from  the  old  country. 
They  don't  always  do  it  very  well,  and,  though  Jack  is 
fond  of  them,  they  make  me  tired  now  and  then." 

Alton  took  his  place  beside  her,  and  speedily  found  him- 
self at  home.  Save  for  the  naval  officer  and  two  English 
financiers  the  men  present  had  a  stake  in  the  future  of  that 
country,  and  as  usual  neither  they  nor  their  womenkind 
considered  it  out  of  place  to  talk  of  their  affairs.  They 
were  also  men  of  mark,  though  several  of  them  who  now 
held  large  issues  in  very  capable  hands  had  commenced  life 
as  wielders  of  the  axe.  Most  of  them  had  heard  of  Alton  of 
the  Somasco  Consolidated,  and  those  who  had  not  listened 
with  attention  when  he  spoke,  for  it  was  evident  that  they 
and  the  rancher  had  the  same  cause  at  heart.  Alice  Dering- 
ham noticed  this,  and,  though  he  was  not  conscious  of  it, 
little  Alton  did  that  night  escaped  her  attention. 

She  saw  that  while  he  rarely  asserted  himself,  these  men, 
whom  she  knew  were  regarded  with  respect  as  leaders  of 
great  industries,  accepted  him  as  an  equal  when  they  had 
heard  him  speak,  but  that  caused  her  less  surprise  than  the 
fashion  in  which  he  adapted  himself  to  his  surroundings. 
She  had  already  discovered  that  he  was  a  man  with  abilities 
and  ambitions,  but  she  had  only  seen  him  amidst  the  grim 
simplicity  of  the  Somasco  ranch,  and  now  there  was  no 
trifling  lapse  or  momentary  embarrassments  to  show  that  he 
found  the  changed  conditions  incongruous.  His  dress  was 
also  different,  but  he  wore  his  city  garments  as  though  he 
had  worn  nothing  else,  and  there  was,  she  fancied,  an  in- 
definite stamp  of  something  which  almost  amounted  to  dis- 
tinction upon  him  that  set  him  apart  from  the  rest.  Even 
Seaforth  wondered  a  little  at  his  comrade,  but  both  he  and 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Alice  Deringham  overlooked  the  fact  that  Alton  had  not 
spent  his  whole  life  at  Somasco  ranch. 

He,  on  his  part,  as  the  girl  was  quite  aware,  glanced  often 
at  her.  She  did  not,  however,  meet  his  gaze,  for  once  Alton 
was  on  the  way  to  recovery,  she  had  left  the  ranch  some- 
what hastily,  and  there  had  been  as  yet  no  defining  of  the 
relations  between  them,  while  neither  she  nor  her  father 
were  cognizant  of  the  actual  cause  of  his  wound.  In  the 
meanwhile  she  made  the  most  of  Thome,  and  by  degrees 
Alton  lost  his  grip  of  the  conversation.  He  had  never  seen 
Alice  Deringham  attired  as  she  was  then,  and,  for  his  hostess 
had  made  the  bravest  display  possible,  the  profusion  of 
flowers,  glass,  and  glittering  silver  which  it  seemed  appro- 
priate that  she  should  be  placed  amidst,  in  a  curious  fashion 
troubled  the  man.  This,  he  knew,  was  a  part  of  the  environ- 
ment she  had  been  used  to,  and  he  sighed  as  he  thought  of 
the  sordid  simplicity  at  Somasco.  There  was  also  Com- 
mander Thome  beside  her,  and  the  naval  officer  was  one 
upon  whom  the  stamp  of  birth  and  polish  was  very  visible. 
This  man,  he  surmised,  would  understand  the  thoughts  and 
fancies  which  were  incomprehensible  to  him,  and  was  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  petty  trifles  which  are  of  vast  import- 
ance to  a  woman  in  the  aggregate. 

Alton's  heart  grew  heavy  as  he  watched  them,  noticing 
the  passing  smile  of  comprehension  that  came  so  easily  and 
expressed  so  much,  and  heard  through  the  hum  of  voices 
the  soft  English  accentuation  which  by  contrast  with  his 
own  speech  seemed  musical.  He  knew  his  value  in  the 
busy  world,  but  he  also  knew  his  failings,  and  the  knowl- 
edge was  bitter  to  him  then.  There  were  so  many  little 
things  he  did  not  know,  and  he  saw  himself,  as  he  thought 
the  girl  must  see  him — uncouth,  which  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  be,  crude  of  thought,  over-vehement  or  taciturn  in 
speech,  a  barbarian.  The  misgivings  had  troubled  him 
before,  but  they  were  very  forceful  now,  and  at  last  he  was 
glad  when  Mrs.  Forel  smiled  at  him. 

"  You  have  been  watching  Miss  Deringham,  and  neglect- 
ing me,"  she  said. 

For  a  moment  Alton  looked  almost  confused,  and  the 
lady  laughed  as  she  continued.  "  Very  pretty  and  stylish, 

252 


ALTON   IS   SILENT 

isn't  she?  Now  we  have  pretty  girls  right  here  in  Van- 
couver, but  I  fancy  they  can  still  give  us  points  in  one 
respect  in  the  old  country.  You  think  that  is  foolish  of 
me?  Well,  I  wouldn't  worry  to  tell  me  so;  I  think  Com- 
mander Thorne  could  do  it  more  neatly." 

"  He  is  apparently  too  busy,"  said  Alton.  "  Still,  I  fancy 
if  you  asked  him  he  would  support  me." 

Mrs.  Forel  smiled  mischievously.  "  Well,  though  one 
could  scarcely  blame  you,  jealousy  wouldn't  do  you  any 
good.  Those  two  were  great  friends  in  the  old  country." 

"  That,"  said  Alton,  "  is  a  little  indefinite." 

"  Of  course,  but  I  don't  know  anything  more,"  said  his 
companion.  "  Lieutenant  Atkinson,  who  knew  them  both, 
told  me.  Thorne  wasn't  rich,  you  see,  but  he  comes  of  good 
people,  and  not  long  ago  somebody  left  him  all  their  money. 
Quite  romantic,  isn't  it  ?  Still,  don't  you  think  Miss  Dering- 
ham  would  be  thrown  away  upon  anybody  less  than  a 
baronet." 

Alton  did  not  answer,  but  his  face  grew  somewhat  grim 
as  once  more  he  glanced  across  at  Thorne.  This,  he 
thought,  was  a  good  man,  and  he  had  all  that  Alton  felt 
himself  so  horribly  deficient  in.  In  the  meanwhile  Mrs. 
Forel  was  looking  at  Seaforth,  who  was  talking  to  the  wife 
of  an  English  financier. 

"  I  like  your  partner,  and  he  is  from  the  old  country, 
too,"  she  said.  "Of  course  you  know  what  he  was  over 
there?" 

It  was  put  artlessly,  but  Alton's  eyes  twinkled.  "  I'm 
afraid  I  don't,  though  I've  no  doubt  Charley  would  have 
told  me  if  I'd  asked  him,"  he  said.  "  He  is  a  tolerably  useful 
man  in  this  country,  anyway,  and  that  kind  of  contented 
me." 

The  lady  shook  her  head  at  him  reproachfully.  "  And  I 
thought  you  were  slow  in  the  bush,"  said  she.  "  Still, 
Thorne  will  know." 

Alton  fancied  his  hostess  intended  to  be  kind  to  him,  but 
he  was  glad  when  the  dinner  was  over  and  he  gravitated 
with  the  other  men  towards  Forel's  smoking-room.  There, 
as  it  happened,  the  talk  turned  upon  shooting  and  fishing, 
and  when  one  or  two  of  the  guests  had  narrated  their 

253 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

adventures  in  the  ranges,  one  who  was  bent  and  grizzled 
told  in  turn  several  grim  stories  of  the  early  days  when  the 
treasure-seekers  went  up  into  the  snows  of  Caribou.  There 
was  a  brief  silence  when  he  had  finished,  until  one  of  the 
Englishmen  said: 

"  I  presume  things  of  that  kind  seldom  happen  now  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Seaforth,  who  spoke  in  the  Western 
idiom.  "  We  have  still  a  few  of  the  good  old-fashioned 
villains  right  here  in  this  country,  and  that  reminds  me  of  a 
thing  which  happened  to  a  man  I  know.  He  was  a  quiet 
man,  and  quite  harmless  so  long  as  nobody  worried  him, 
but  generally  held  on  with  a  tight  grip  to  his  own,  and  he 
once  got  his  hands  into  something  another  man  wanted. 
That  was  how  the  fuss  began." 

There  was  a  little  pause,  during  which  Alton  glanced 
bewilderedly  at  his  comrade,  and  t)eringham  glanced  round 
as  he  poured  himself  out  a  whisky  and  seltzer. 

"  It's  not  an  uncommon  beginning,"  said  Forel.  "  What 
was  the  end  ?  " 

"  There  isn't  any,"  said  Seaforth,  "  but  I  can  tell  you  the 
middle.  One  day  the  quiet  man,  who  was  living  by  himself 
way  up  in  the  bush,  went  out  hunting,  and  as  he  had  eaten 
very  little  for  a  week  he  was  tolerably  hungry.  Well,  when 
he  had  been  out  all  day  he  got  a  deer,  and  was  packing  it 
home  at  night  when  he  struck  a  belt  of  thick  timber.  The 
man  was  played  out  from  want  of  food,  the  deer  was  heavy, 
but  he  dragged  himself  along  thinking  of  his  supper,  until 
something  twinkled  beneath  a  fir.  He  jumped  when  he 
saw  it,  but  he  wasn't  quick  enough,  and  went  down  with  a 
bullet  in  him.  His  rifle  fell  away  from  him  where  he 
couldn't  get  it  without  the  other  man  seeing  him,  and  he 
was  bleeding  fast,  but  still  sensible  enough  to  know  that 
nobody  would  start  out  on  a  contract  of  that  kind  without 
his  magazine  full.  It  was  a  tolerably  tight  place  for  him 
— the  man  was  worn  out,  and  almost  famishing,  and  he  lay 
there  in  the  snow,  getting  fainter  every  minute,  with  one 
leg  no  use  to  him." 

Seaforth  looked  round  as  though  to  see  what  impression 
he  had  made,  and  though  all  the  faces  were  turned  towards 
him  it  was  one  among  them  his  eyes  rested  on.  Deringham 

254 


ALTON   IS   SILENT 

was  leaning  forward  in  his  chair  with  fingers  closed  more 
tightly  about  the  glass  he  held  than  there  seemed  any  ne- 
cessity for.  His  eyes  were  slightly  dilated,  and  Seaforth 
fancied  he  read  in  them  a  growing  horror. 

"  He  crawled  away  into  the  bush  ?  "  said  somebody. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Seaforth,  "  he  just  wriggled  Snto  the  un- 
dergrowth and  waited  for  the  other  man." 

"  Waited  for  him  ?  "  said  Forel. 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth.  "  That  is  what  he  did,  and  when 
the  other  man  came  along  peering  into  the  bushes,  just 
reached  out  and  grabbed  him  by  the  leg.  Then  they  both 
rolled  over,  and  I  think  that  must  have  been  a  tolerably 
grim  struggle.  There  they  were,  alone,  far  up  in  the  bush, 
and  probably  not  a  living  soul  within  forty  miles  of  them." 

Seaforth  stopped  again  and  reached  out  for  his  glass, 
while  he  noticed  that  Deringham  emptied  his  at  a  gulp  and 
refilled  it  with  fingers  that  seemed  to  shake  a  trifle. 

"  And  your  friend  got  away  ?  "  said  somebody. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Seaforth.  "  It  was  the  other  man.  The 
one  I  knew  had  his  hand  on  the  other's  throat  and  his  knife 
feeling  for  a  soft  place  when  his  adversary  broke  away  from 
him.  He  did  it  just  a  moment  too  soon,  for  while  he  was 
getting  out  through  the  bush  the  other  one  dropped  his 
knife  and  rolled  over  in  the  snow.  He  lay  there  a  day  or 
two  until  somebody  found  him." 

Seaforth  rose  and  moved  towards  the  cigar-box  on  the 
table.  "  And  that's  all,"  he  said. 

"Dramatic,  but  it's  a  little  incomplete,  isn't  it?"  said 
the  Englishman. 

Seaforth  smiled  somewhat  dryly,  and  once  more  glanced 
casually  towards  Deringham.  "  It  may  be  finished  by  and 
by,  and  I  fancy  the  wind-up  will  be  more  dramatic  still,'* 
he  said.  "  You  see  the  man  who  would  wait  for  his  enemy 
with  only  a  knife  in  his  hand  while  his  life  drained  away 
from  him,  is  scarcely  likely  to  forget  an  injury." 

There  was  silence  for  several  moments  which  was  broken 
by  a  rattle,  and  a  stream  of  whisky  and  seltzer  dripped  from 
the  table. 

"  Hallo !  "  said  Forel.  "  Has  anything  upset  you,  Der- 
ingham?" 

255 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Deringham  stood  up  with  a  little  harsh  laugh,  dabbing 
at  the  breast  of  his  shirt  with  his  handkerchief. 

"  I  think  the  question  should  apply  to  my  glass,  but  the 
room  is  a  trifle  hot,  and  my  heart  has  been  troubling  me 
lately,"  he  said. 

Forel  flung  one  of  the  windows  open.  "  I  fancy  my  wife 
is  waiting  for  us,  gentlemen,  and  I  will  be  with  you  in  a  few 
minutes,"  he  said. 

Alton  and  Seaforth  were  almost  the  last  to  file  out  of  the 
smoking-room,  and  when  they  reached  the  corridor  the 
former  turned  upon  his  comrade  with  a  glint  in  his  half- 
closed  eyes. 

"  You  show  a  curious  taste  for  a  man  raised  as  you  have 
been  in  the  old  country,"  he  said.  "  Now  what  in  the  name 
of  thunder  made  you  tell  that  story  ?  " 

Seaforth  smiled  somewhat  inanely.  "  I  don't  know ;  I 
just  felt  I  had  to.  All  of  us  are  subject  to  little  weaknesses 
occasionally." 

Alton  stopped  and  looked  at  him  steadily.  "  Then  there 
will  be  trouble  if  you  give  way  to  them  again.  And  you 
put  in  a  good  deal  more  than  I  ever  told  anybody.  Now 
you  haven't  brains  enough  to  figure  out  all  that." 

Seaforth  laughed  good-humouredly.  "  It  is  possibly 
fortunate  that  Tom  has,"  he  said. 

"  Tom — be  condemned,"  said  Alton  viciously,  and  Sea- 
forth, seeing  that  he  was  about  to  revert  to  the  previous 
question,  apparently  answered  a  summons  from  his  host  and 
slipped  back  into  the  smoking-room. 

Alton  waited  a  moment,  and  then  moved  somewhat 
stiffly  towards  a  low  stairway  which  led  to  a  broad  landing 
that  was  draped  and  furnished  as  an  annex  to  an  upper 
room.  One  or  two  of  the  company  were  seated  there,  and 
he  hoped  they  would  not  notice  him,  for  while  he  could 
walk  tolerably  well  upon  the  level  a  stairway  presented 
a  difficulty.  He  had  all  his  life  been  a  vigorous  man,  and 
because  of  it  was  painfully  sensitive  about  his  affliction. 
Just  then  Mrs.  Forel  came  out  upon  the  landing,  and  when 
the  ^irl  she  spoke  to  turned,  Alton  saw  that  Alice  Dering- 
ham was  looking  down  on  him.  For  a  moment  there  was  a 
brightness  in  his  eyes,  but  it  faded  suddenly,  and  while  his 

256 


ALTON   IS   SILENT 

knee  bent  under  him  he  set  his  lips  as  with  pain.  Then  he 
stumbled,  and  clung  to  the  balustrade.  For  a  moment  he 
dare  not  look  up,  and  when  he  did  so  there  was  a  flush  on 
his  forehead  which  slowly  died  away  as  he  saw  the  face 
of  the  girl.  i 

She  had  also  laid  her  hand  as  if  for  support  upon  the 
balustrade,  for  it  was  unfortunate  she  had  not  been  told 
that  one  effect  of  Alton's  injury  would  be  permanent.  At 
the  commencement  of  their  friendship  she  had  been  pain- 
fully aware  of  what  she  considered  his  shortcomings,  but 
these  had  gradually  become  less  evident,  and  something  in 
the  man's  forceful  personality  had  carried  her  away. 
Possibly,  though  she  may  not  have  realized  it,  his  splendid 
animal  vigour  had  its  part  in  this — and  now  dismay  and  a 
great  pity  struggled  within  her.  It  was  especially  un- 
fortunate that  when  Alton  looked  up  the  consternation  had 
risen  uppermost,  for  the  man's  perceptions  were  not  of  the 
clearest  then,  and  he  saw  nothing  of  the  compassion,  but 
only  the  shrinking  in  her  eyes. 

His  face  grew  a  trifle  grey  as  he  straightened  himself  with 
a  visible  effort  and  limped  forward,  for  he  was  one  who 
could  make  a  quick  decision,  while  to  complete  his  bitterness 
Thorne  came  up  behind  him  and  slipped  an  arm  beneath 
his  shoulder. 

"  You  seem  a  little  shaky.  I'll  help  you  up,"  he  said. 
"  An  axe-cut  ?  The  effect  will  probably  soon  wear  off." 

Alton  understood  that  Thorne  was  talking  to  cover  any 
embarrassment  he  may  have  felt,  but  was  not  especially 
grateful  just  then.  "  No,"  he  said;  "  a  rifle-shot." 

He  fancied  that  Thorne  was  a  trifle  astonished,  and 
remembered  Seaforth's  story,  but  they  had  gained  the  head 
of  the  stairway  now,  and  he  looked  at  Alice  Deringham  as 
he  added,  "  And  the  effect  will  not  wear  off." 

Thorne  passed  through  with  the  others  into  the  lighted 
room,  and  Alton  stood  silent  before  the  girl.  She  was  a 
trifle  pale,  and  though  the  pity  for  him  was  there,  it  is 
possible  that  she  had  understood  him,  and  she  was  very 
proud.  Thus  the  silence  that  was  perilous  lasted  too  long, 
and  her  voice  was  a  trifle  strained  in  place  of  gentle  as 
she  said,  "  I  am  so  sorry." 

257 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Alton,  who  dared  not  look  at  her,  now  bent  his  head. 
"  You  are  very  kind — still,  it  can't  be  helped,"  he  said. 
"  I  think  Mrs.  Forel  is  coming  back  for  you.  Somebody  is 
going  to  sing." 

Their  hostess  approached  the  doorway,  and  Alice  Der- 
ingham  found  words  fail  her  as  she  watched  the  man, 
though  she  knew  that  the  silence  was  horribly  eloquent. 
It  was  Alton  who  broke  it. 

"  You  had  better  go  in.  I " — and  he  smiled  bitterly — 
"  will  wait  until  the  music  commences  and  they  cannot 
notice  me." 

The  girl  could  stay  no  longer,  though  at  last  words  which 
would  have  made  a  difference  to  both  of  them  rose  to  her 
lips,  but  Alton  waited  until  he  could  slip  into  the  room 
unnoticed,  and  heard  very  little  of  the  music.  During  it 
Mrs.  Forel  managed  to  secure  a  few  words  with  Thorne. 

"  You  seem  to  have  made  friends  with  rancher  Alton," 
she  said. 

Thorne  smiled  a  little.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  Of  course  I 
know  little  about  him,  but  I  think  that  is  a  man  one  could 
trust." 

The  lady  nodded,  for  he  had  given  her  an  opportunity. 
"  You  know  more  about  his  partner  ?  " 

Thome's  manner  appeared  to  change  a  trifle,  which  Mrs. 
Forel  of  course  noticed.  "  Yes,"  he  said. 

The  lady  thoughtfully  smoothed  out  a  fold  of  her  dress. 
"  Well,"  she  said  with  Western  frankness,  "  I  want  to  know 
a  little  about  him,  too." 

Thorne  smiled  as  he  saw  there  was  no  evading  the  issue. 
"  So  I  surmised  from  what  your  husband  asked  me.  Sea- 
forth  was  considered  a  young  man  of  promise  when  I 
knew  him  in  England,  and  his  family  is  unexceptional.  His 
father,  however,  lost  a  good  deal  of  money,  which  pre- 
sumably accounts  for  Charley  having  turned  Canadian 
rancher." 

Mrs.  Forel  turned  so  that  she  could  see  her  companion. 
"That  is  not  what  I  mean,  and  I  think  I  had  better  talk 
quite  straight  to  you.  Now  I  like  Mr.  Seaforth  and  Mr. 
Alton,  too,  and  as  Jack  is  mixed  up  in  some  business  of 
theirs  and  they  are  going  to  stay  down  in  Vancouver  we 

258 


ALTON  IS   SILENT 

shall  probably  see  a  good  deal  of  them.  Jack,  however,  is 
sometimes  a  little  hasty  in  making  friends,  and  I  want  to 
know  the  other  reason  that  brought  Mr.  Seaforth  out  from 
the  old  country." 

"  You  fancy  there  is  one  ?  "  Thorne  said  quietly. 

"Yes.  Lieutenant  Atkinson  made  a  little  blunder  one 
night  when  he  spoke  of  him." 

"  Atkinson  never  had  very  much  sense,"  Thorne  said 
dryly.  "  I,  however,  fancied  a  man  took  his  standing  among 
you  according  to  what  he  did  in  this  country." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Forel.  "  The  trouble  is  that  the  man 
who  has  crossed  the  line  once  may  do  so  again.  Well,  you 
see  who  these  people  are,  and  if  he  meets  them  here  it 
means  that  I  vouch  for  him." 

Thorne  sighed.  "If  Atkinson  has  blundered,  I  am  afraid 
that  I  must  speak.  Now  I  don't  think  you  need  be  afraid 
of  Seaforth  crossing  that  line  again.  He  was  not  worse 
than  foolish  and  somebody  victimized  him,  but  he  has  had 
his  punishment  and  borne  it  very  well — while  if  you  knew 
the  whole  story  you  would  scarcely  blame  him." 

"  And  that  is  all  you  can  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Thorne,  very  quietly.  "  Still,  I  can  add  that 
if  Charley  ever  comes  back  to  the  old  country  I — and  my 
mother  and  sisters — would  be  glad  to  welcome  him." 

"  That  I  think  should  be  sufficient,"  said  Mrs.  Forel, 
who  was  acquainted  with  Commander  Thome's  status  in 
the  old  country. 

It  was  a  little  later  when  Alton  glanced  towards  Thorne, 
who  was  talking  to  Alice  Deringham.  "  I  could  get  on 
with  that  man,"  he  said.  "  You  knew  him,  Charley  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Seaforth  with  a  curious  expression. 
"  He  is  a  very  good  fellow,  and  has  distinguished  himself 
several  times.  Somebody  left  him  a  good  deal  of  money 
lately." 

Alton  seemed  to  sigh.  "Well,"  he  said  slowly,  "he 
is  to  be  envied.  They  wouldn't  have  much  use  for  him  in 
your  navy  if  he  was  a  cripple." 

The  party  was  breaking  up  before  Alton  had  speech 
with  Alice  Deringham  again,  and  as  it  happened  the  girl 
had  just  left  Commander  Thorne.  Alton  spoke  with  an 

259 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

effort  as  one  going  through  a  task.  "  I  never  thanked  you 
yet  for  what  you  did  for  me,"  he  said. 

The  girl  smiled,  though  her  pulses  were  throbbing  pain- 
fully. "  It  was  very  little." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  I  think  I  should  not  have 
been  here  now  if  you  had  not  taken  care  of  me,  and  I'm 
very  grateful.  Still," — and  he  glanced  down  with  a  wry 
smile  at  his  knee,  which  was  bent  a  trifle — "  it  was  unfortu- 
nate you  and  the  doctor  did  not  get  me  earlier.  There  are 
disadvantages  in  being — all  one's  life — a  cripple." 

As  fate  would  have  it  they  were  interrupted  before  Miss 
Deringham  could  answer,  and  Alton  limped  down  the  stair- 
way very  grim  in  face,  while  Thorne  appeared  sympathetic 
when  he  overtook  him.  "  That  wound  of  yours  is  troub- 
ling you  ?  "  he  said. 

"Yes//  said  Alton  dryly;  "I'm  afraid  it  will.  Now  I 
was  a  trifle  confused  when  you  helped  me.  Did  I  tell  you 
how  I  got  it  ?  " 

Thorne  remembering  Seaforth's  story  answered  indiffer- 
ently, "  I  concluded  it  was  an  axe-cut." 

He  passed  on,  but  Alton  had  quick  perceptions,  and 
made  a  little  gesture  of  contentment.  "  He  is  almost  good 
enough,  anyway,"  he  said  wearily. 

When  all  the  guests  had  gone  Deringham  came  upon  his 
daughter  alone.  "  I  noticed  Mr.  Alton  was  not  effusive," 
he  said. 

"  No,"  said  the  girl  languidly,  though  there  was  a  curious 
expression  in  her  eyes.  "  I  do  not  remember  that  he  told 
much  beyond  the  fact  that  he  would  be  a  cripple — all  his 
life.  He  mentioned  it  twice." 


260 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

WITHOUT  COUNTING  THE  COST 

THERE  had  been  a  revival  of  speculation  in  industrial 
enterprise,  and  it  was  unusually  late  at  night  when  Miss 
Townshead  rose  wearily  from  the  table  she  had  been  busy 
at.  Her  eyes  ached,  her  fingers  and  arms  were  cramped, 
but  that  did  not  distress  her  greatly,  for  Townshead  needed 
many  comforts,  and  she  was  earning  what  would  have  been 
considered  in  England  a  liberal  salary.  It  was  very  quiet 
in  the  room  at  the  top  of  the  towering  building,  where, 
however,  another  young  woman,  who  as  it  happened  was 
jealous  of  her  companion's  progress,  still  sat  writing,  and  a 
light  blinked  in  the  adjoining  one  across  the  passage  in 
which  one  of  the  heads  of  the  firm  would  probably  remain 
most  of  the  night.  Trade  is  spasmodic  in  the  West,  and 
those  who  live  by  it  work  with  feverish  activity  when  the 
tide  is  with  them. 

"You're  through?"  said  Miss  Holder.  "Well,  if  you 
can  wait  ten  minutes  I'll  come  along  with  you." 

Nellie  Townshead  was  not  especially  fond  of  her  com- 
panion, but  at  that  hour  the  streets  were  lonely,  and  she 
sat  down  again  when  she  had  put  on  her  hat  and  jacket. 
While  she  waited  a  little  bell  began  to  ring,  and  Miss 
Holder  rose  with  an  impatient  exclamation. 

"  Get  your  pencil,  Nellie,"  she  said,  as  she  took  the 
telephonic  receiver  down  from  the  hook. 

Miss  Townshead  took  a  sheet  of  paper  from  a  case,  and 
waited  until  her  companion  spoke  again.  "  Oh,  yes,  I'm 
here.  A  little  late  to  worry  tired  folks,  isn't  it?  No.  Mr. 
Hallam's  away  just  now.  Wire  from  Somasco  just  come 
in — and  we're  to  let  him  have  it  as  soon  as  we  can.  Oh, 
yes,  I  understand  you.  '  Platinum,  galena,  cyanide,  Alton, 
oxide.  In  a  vise.'  You've  got  that,  Nellie?  Do  I  know 
when  Hallam  will  get  it?  No,  I  don't  Good-night" 

261 


ALTOX   OF   SOMASCO 

Now  a  man  would  probably  have  at  once  enclosed  the 
message  in  an  envelope,  but  a  Western  business  lady  not 
infrequently  takes  a  kindly  interest  in  the  private  concerns 
of  her  employer,  especially  if  they  are  not  quite  clear  to 
her.  Accordingly  Miss  Holder  sat  down  and  read  over 
the  message,  after  which  she  shook  her  head. 

"  I  wonder  what  it's  all  about,  and  I  don't  like  that 
Hallam,"  she  said.  "  He's  an  insect.  A  crawling  one  with 
slimy  feet,  and  to  pin  a  big  diamond  in  front  of  one  as  he 
does  is  horrible  taste.  Give  me  the  book,  Nellie.  It  reads 
like"  our  cypher.  Oh,  yes.  '  Instructions  to  hand.  No  legal 
improvements  done  and  claim  unrecorded.  Will  relocate.' 
Now  we've  nothing  that  silver  stands  for,  and  it  reads  quite 
straight.  '  Will  relocate  the  silver  claim  as  soon  as  pros- 
pecting is  possible.  Alton  cannot  take  action.'  He  means 
he's  got  him  in  a  vise." 

Miss  Holder  crossed  the  landing  and  tapped  at  the  door 
of  the  adjoining  room,  while  Nellie  Townshead  walked  to 
the  window  and  looked  down  on  the  city.  It  stretched 
away  before  her,  silent  for  once  under  its  blinking  lights, 
sidewalk  and  pavement  lying  empty  far  down  beneath  the 
mazy  wires  and  towering  buildings,  but  she  saw  little  of 
it  as  she  glanced  towards  the  block  where  the  Somasco 
Consolidated  had  their  offices.  The  message  had  troubled 
her,  for  she  recalled  many  kindnesses  shown  to  her  and 
her  father  by  the  owners  of  Somasco  ranch.  She  also 
owed  one  of  them  a  reparation,  for  she  had  seen  the  man 
who  miscarried  the  message  in  Vancouver,  and  knew  that 
the  delay,  when  the  ranch  was  sold,  was  not  Alton's  fault. 
Nor  had  she  forgiven  Hallam  for  the  greed  and  cunning 
which  had  effected  her  father's  ruin,  and  now  it  seemed 
that  he  held  Alton  of  Somasco  and  his  partner  in  his  grip. 
That  there  was  treachery  at  work  she  felt  sure,  and  grew 
hot  with  indignation  as  she  determined  that  if  she  could 
prevent  it  neither  Alton — nor  his  partner — should  suffer. 

It  might  have  occurred  to  a  man  that  what  she  con- 
templated implied  a  breach  of  confidence,  but  Nellie  Towns- 
head  was  a  high-spirited  girl,  and  only  realized  that  Hallam 
was  about  to  wrong  her  friends  just  then. 

There  would  also  be  no  difficulty  in  warning  him,  for 

262 


WITHOUT   COUNTING   THE   COST 

Alton  had  taken  over  the  office  of  the  Somasco  Con- 
solidated on  his  arrival  at  Vancouver,  and  while  she  con- 
sidered the  question  a  voice  came  out  of  the  adjoining 
room. 

"  Hallam's  at  Westminster,  and  it  will  have  to  (wait  until 
he  comes  round  in  the  morning.  Don't  stay  any  longer, 
and  take  Miss  Townshead  with  you.  It's  later  than  I 
fancied." 

Five  minutes  afterwards  the  two  girls  went  out  into  the 
silent  streets,  and  Miss  Townshead,  who  left  her  com- 
panion at  the  corner  of  one  of  them,  turned  round  again 
and  walked  back  somewhat  slowly  part  of  the  way  she  had 
come.  She  did  not  notice  that  Miss  Holder  had  also  turned 
and  was  watching  her,  for  she  realized  for  the  first  time 
that  what  she  was  about  to  do  admitted  of  misconception. 
Still,  remembering  how  Hallam  had  tricked  her  father, 
she  went  on,  and  only  stopped  for  a  moment  when  she 
entered  the  great  building  in  the  upper  part  of  which  was 
the  office  of  the  Somasco  Consolidated.  It  was  very  silent. 
The  rooms  which  had  hummed  with  voices  all  day  long 
were  shut,  and  one  blinking  light  emphasized  the  darkness 
of  the  big  empty  corridor.  Scarcely  a  sound  reached  her 
from  the  city,  but  she  had  seen  that  two  windows  high  up 
were  lighted,  and  went  up  the  stairway  resolutely.  The 
warning  could  be  delivered  in  less  than  a  minute,  and  she 
fancied  that  Alton  would  not  be  alone,  while  she  knew  that 
the  conventionalities  as  understood  in  England  are  almost 
unknown  in  the  West. 

As  it  happened  Alton,  who,  though  Miss  Townshead  did 
not  know  this,  lived  in  the  room  adjoining  his  office,  was 
busy  about  the  stove  just  then.  In  those  days,  when  Van- 
couver had  more  inhabitants  than  it  could  well  find  room 
for  and  its  hotels  overflowed,  single  men  taking  their  meals 
in  the  public  restaurants  lived  as  best  they  could,  over  their 
stores  and  offices,  or  in  rude  cabins  and  shanties  flung  up 
anywhere  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  while  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  a  good  many  of  them  live  in  much  the  same 
fashion  now.  Alton  had,  however,  missed  the  six  o'clock 
supper,  for  reasons  which  the  sheaf  of  papers  on  his  desk 
made  plain,  and  was  then  engaged  in  cooking  something 

263 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

in  a  frying-pan.  A  portable  cedar  partition  partly  shrouded 
the  little  table  set  out  with  a  few  plates,  and  the  stove, 
while  his  old  worked-deerhide  slippers  and  loose  jacket 
indicated  that-  the  man  was  just  then  not  so  much  in  his 
place  of  business  as  at  home.  He  had  been  busy  in  the  city 
and  at  his  desk  for  ten  hours  that  day,  for  the  Somasco 
products  were  becoming  known,  and  men  had  been  toiling 
in  the  valley,  driving  roads,  and  building  a  new  sawmill 
in  the  frost  and  snow.  Part  of  Alton's  business  in  the  city 
was  to  raise  the  money  that  was  needed  to  maintain  them, 
and  already  he  could  foresee  that  if  the  time  of  prosperity 
was  delayed  it  might  go  hardly  with  the  Somasco  Company. 

He  had  laid  down  the  frying-pan  and  was  shaking  a  pot 
of  strong  green  tea  when  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door, 
which  opened  while  he  wondered  whether  there  would  be 
time  for  him  to  alter  his  attire.  Then  he  stood  up  with  the 
teapot  in  his  hand,  and  made  a  little  whimsical  gesture  of 
dismay  as  Miss  Townshead  stood  before  him.  She  coloured 
a  trifle,  but  took  courage  at  Alton's  soft  laugh,  for  it  was 
clear  that  he  was  as  yet  only  concerned  about  the  plight  in 
which  she  had  found  him.  Alton,  she  remembered,  had 
not  been  brought  up  conventionally  in  England,  and  she 
knew  his  wholesome  simplicity. 

"  I'm  very  glad  to  see  you,  but  if  I'd  known  who  was 
there  I'd  have  fixed  the  place  up  before  you  got  in,"  he 
said.  "  Sit  right  down  beside  the  stove." 

Nellie  Townshead  stood  still  a  moment,  but  she  was 
tired  and  the  night  was  cold,  so  she  took  the  chair  he  drew 
forward,  and  then  shook  her  head  as  he  laid  a  cup  before 
her. 

"  It's  Horton's  tea,  and  bad  at  that,  but  it  will  help  us  to 
fancy  ourselves  back  in  the  bush,"  he  said.  "  Your  father 
is  keeping  all  right  ?  " 

The  girl  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience.  "  Yes," 
she  said.  "  I  am  almost  afraid  I  am  doing  wrong,  but  I 
felt  I  must  warn  you.  Now  don't  ask  me  any  questions, 
but  take  it  as  a  fact  that  Hallam  has  sent  up  somebody  to 
locate  your  silver  as  soon  as  it  can  be  done.  He  seems  to 
consider  he  has  you  at  a  disadvantage  because  you  have 
not  put  in  your  legal  improvements." 

264 


WITHOUT   COUNTING   THE   COST 

Alton  thrust  his  chair  back  and  clenched  one  hand,  while 
the  girl  noticed  with  relief  that  he  had  almost  forgotten 
her. 

"  Hallam,"  he  said,  and  stopped  a  moment,  while  his 
voice  was  harsh  as  he  continued,  "  going  to  restake  my 
claim.  Well,  there  is  time  still  in  hand  and  he  can't  do  it 
yet.  Now " 

The  girl  stopped  him  with  a  gesture.  "  You  must  ask 
me  nothing,"  she  said.  "  You  can  understand  what  I  told 
you?" 

A  slow  glow  crept  into  Alton's  eyes.  "  Oh,  yes,  it's  all 
quite  plain,"  he  said.  "  When  you  find  a  mineral  claim  you 
have  got  to  record  it  in  fifteen  days,  or  it  goes  back  to  the 
Crown,  and  I  couldn't  do  that,  you  see,  because  I  was  lying 
for  weeks  at  Somasco.  Well,  while  the  claim  is  unrecorded 
anybody  can  jump  it,  but  I  couldn't  get  back  up  there 
through  the  snow,  and  didn't  figure  Hallam's  man  knew 
just  where  to  find  it.  Now  you've  told  me  we'll  get  in 
ahead  of  him  yet,  and  the  man  he  sends  up  there  will  have 
his  journey  for  nothing.  Do  you  know  that  what  you  have 
done  means  just  everything  to  Somasco?" 

Alton  stopped  suddenly,  and  there  was  consternation  in 
the  girl's  face  as  she  glanced  at  him. 

"  I  think  there's  somebody  coming,"  he  said  slowly. 

Now  there  was  still  just  time  for  Alton  to  have  shut  the 
outer  door,  but  he  remembered  for  the  first  time  that  the 
girl's  visit  at  that  hour  might  be  considered  unusual,  and 
it  appeared  probable  that  she  would  not  approve  of  the 
action,  while  having  as  yet  only  dealt  with  men,  his  usual 
quick  decision  deserted  him.  He  glanced  once  from  his 
companion  to  the  partition  and  the  door  of  the  inner  room, 
and  shook  his  head.  Then  he  sprang  forward  towards  the 
outer  door,  forgetting  that  he  was  lame.  That,  however, 
did  not  alter  the  fact,  and  as  he  stumbled  a  little  the  tray 
on  the  table  he  struck  went  down  with  a  crash,  scattering 
its  contents  about  the  room,  while  before  he  reached  the 
door  it  swung  open  and  a  man  stood  smiling  in  the  opening. 

"  Hello !  I  seem  to  have  scared  you,"  he  said.  "  Got 
anything  you  don't  want  folks  to  know  about  in  here?" 

The   stranger  moved   forward   another  step,   and  then 

265 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

stopped  abruptly  with  a  little  gasp  as  his  glance  took  in 
the  overturned  tray,  scattered  crockery,  and  the  rigid  figure 
of  the  girl  standing  with  a  flushed  face  beside  the  stove. 
Then  he  glanced  at  Alton,  and  noticing  the  old  jacket 
and  deerhide  slippers,  appeared  to  have  some  difficulty 
in  checking  a  smile,  for  this  was  a  young  man  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  simple  strenuous  life  of  the  bush,  but  a  good 
deal  about  the  under-side  of  that  of  the  cities." 

"  I'll  come  back  in  business  hours  to-morrow,"  he  said. 
"  Sorry  to  disturb  you,  but  I  hadn't  a  minute  all  day,  and 
there  was  a  question  I  figured  we  could  best  talk  over 
quietly." 

"  Then  you  had  better  start  in  with  it,"  said  Alton  quietly. 
"  This  lady,  who  came  here  on  business,  is  just  going." 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  stranger.  "  I  think  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  her." 

He  turned  with  a  little  smile  which  broadened  into  a  grin 
Alton  found  intolerable,  for  there  was  a  patter  of  feet  on 
the  stairway,  and  when  he  looked  round  except  for  him- 
self and  Alton  the  room  was  empty. 

"  The  fact  is  I'm  awfully  sorry,"  he  said.  "  But  how  was 
I  to  know  ?  " 

The  veins  were  swollen  on  Alton's  forehead,  and  his  eyes 
half-closed.  "  Now,"  he  said  sternly,  "  I  don't  want  to  hear 
any  more  of  that.  I  think  I  told  you  the  lady  you  saw 
here  came  in  a  few  minutes  ago  on  an  affair  of  business." 

It  was  unfortunate  that  Alton  had  a  difficult  temper  and 
his  visitor  no  discretion,  for  there  are  men  in  whom  Western 
directness  degenerates  into  effrontery. 

"  Of  course ! "  said  the  latter.  "  My  dear  fellow,  you 
needn't  protest.  Considering  the  connection  between  her 
employers  and  Hallam,  who  is  scarcely  a  friend  of  yours, 
that  is  especially  likely." 

Alton  stood  very  straight,  looking  at  the  speaker  in  a 
fashion  which  would  have  warned  any  one  who  knew  him. 
"  I  figure  you  can't  help  being  a  fool,  but  I  want  to  hear 
you  admit  that  you're  sorry  for  it,"  he  said. 

He  spoke  very  quietly,  but  it  was  unfortunate  for  both 
of  them  that  the  other  man,  who  was  growing  slightly 
nettled,  did  not  know  when  to  stop. 

266 


WITHOUT   COUNTING   THE   COST 

"  I  told  you  I  was  sorry — I  looked  in  at  an  inopportune 
time — already,  and  I'll  forget  it  right  off,"  he  said.  "  Now 
that  should  content  anybody,  because  there  are  folks  who 
would  think  the  story  too  good  to  be  lost." 

He  got  no  further,  because  Alton  stepped  ferward  and 
seized  him  by  the  collar,  which  tore  away  in  his  grasp. 
Then  there  was  a  brief  scuffle,  a  scattering  of  papers  up 
and  down  the  room,  and  Alton  stood  gasping  in  the  door- 
way, while  his  visitor  reeled  down  the  first  flight  of  stairs 
and  into  the  wall  at  the  foot  of  it.  Alton  glanced  down  at 
him  a  moment,  and  seeing  he  was  not  seriously  hurt,  flung 
the  door  to  with  a  bang  that  rolled  from  corridor  to  cor- 
ridor through  the  great  silent  building,  before  he  turned 
back  into  the  disordered  room  with  a  little  laugh. 

"  I've  fixed  that  fellow,  anyway,  and  now  I'd  better  go 
through  those  plans  until  I  simmer  down,"  he  said. 

He  picked  up  the  overturned  table  and  his  scattered 
supper,  while  it  was  characteristic  of  him  that  when  an 
hour  later  he  rolled  up  a  sheet  of  mill-drawings  in  a  survey 
plotting  of  the  Somasco  valley,  he  had  forgotten  all  about 
the  incident,  which  was,  however,  not  the  case  with  the 
other  man.  In  another  twenty  minutes  he  was  also  fast 
asleep,  and  because  men  commence  their  work  betimes  in 
that  country,  had  disposed  of  several  car-loads  of  Somasco 
produce  before  he  breakfasted  next  morning.  During  the 
day  he  noticed  that  some  of  the  younger  men  he  met  smiled 
at  him  curiously,  but  attached  no  especial  meaning  to  it. 
Alton  had  taught  himself  to  concentrate  all  his  faculties 
upon  his  task,  and  he  worked  in  the  city  as  he  had  done  in 
the  bush,  with  the  singleness  of  purpose  and  activity  that 
left  no  opportunity  of  considering  side  issues.  He  had 
also,  as  usual,  a  good  deal  to  do :  buyers  of  dressed  lumber, 
cattle,  and  ranching  produce  to  interview;  shippers  of 
horses  to  bargain  with;  railroad  men  and  politicians  to 
obtain  promises  of  concessions  from,  and  men  who  had 
money  to  lend  to  interest.  The  latter  was  the  most  diffi- 
cult task,  and  now  and  then  his  face  grew  momentarily 
grave  as  he  remembered  the  burdens  he  had  already  laid 
upon  his  ranch  and  the  Somasco  Consolidated. 

"  Still,  what  we're  working  for  Is  bound  to  come,  and 

267 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

we'll  hold  on  somehow  until  it  does,"  he  said  to  Forel,  who 
occasionally  remonstrated  with  him.  "  When  you've  helped 
me  to  put  the  new  loan  through  I'll  bring  Charley  or  the 
other  man  down,  and  go  up  and  relocate  the  claim.  After 
the  late  snowfall  nobody  could  get  through  the  ranges 
now,  but  Tom  and  I  could  make  our  way  when  it  wouldn't 
be  possible  to  any  of  Hallam's  men." 

Possibly  because  he  had  been  successful  hitherto,  Alton 
was  slightly  over-sanguine,  and  apt  to  make  too  small 
allowance  in  his  calculations  for  contingencies  in  which 
human  foresight  and  tenacity  of  purpose  may  not  avail. 
It  happened  in  the  meanwhile,  though  he  was,  of  course, 
not 'aware  of  this,  that  Deringham  had  an  interview  with 
Hallam  in  the  smoking-room  of  the  big  C.  P.  R.  hotel. 
They  did  not  enter  it  together,  for  Deringham  was  sit- 
ting there  when  Hallam  came  in,  about  the  time  the 
Atlantic  express  was  starting,  which  accounted  for  the  fact 
that  there  was  nobody  else  present.  Deringham  appeared 
a  trifle  too  much  at  his  ease,  though  his  face  was  pale,  for 
he  had  not  departed  from  veracity  when  he  informed 
Forel  that  his  heart  had  troubled  him  after  listening  to 
Seaforth's  story.  He  nodded  to  Hallam,  and  picked  out  a 
fresh  cigar  from  the  box  upon  the  table  before  he  spoke. 

"  It  is  fine  weather,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Hallam  dryly.  "  Still,  I  guess  you  didn't 
ask  me  to  come  here  and  talk  about  the  climate." 

"  No,"  and  Deringham  glanced  at  his  cigar.  "  I  meant 
to  tell  you  that  the  little  speculation  you  recently  mentioned 
does  not  commend  itself  to  me.  In  fact,  I  have  decided 
that  we  can  have  no  more  dealings  of  any  description 
together." 

"  No?  "  said  Hallam,  with  a  little  brutal  laugh.  "  Dollars 
running  out  ?  " 

Deringham  glanced  at  him  languidly.  "As  you  know, 
that  is  not  the  reason.  Now  I  do  not  ask  for  a  return  of 
the  money  you  obtained  from  me — but  I  want  the  thing 
stopped  immediately." 

Hallam  poured  out  a  glass  of  wine.  "  You  will  have  to 
put  it  straight." 

"  Well,"  said  Deringham,  "  if  you  insist.    I  am  sincerely 

268 


WITHOUT   COUNTING   THE   COST 

sorry  I  ever  saw  or  heard  of  you.  You,  of  course,  remem- 
ber the  conditions  on  which  I  made  that  deal  with  you.  I 
desired  Mr.  Alton  kept  away  from  Somasco — for  a  time, 
and  now  I  want  a  definite  promise  from  you  that  he  will 
be  free  from  any  further  molestation."  x 

"  Then,"  said  Hallam,  with  a  grin,  "  what's  your  pro- 
gramme if  I  don't  agree?  You  would  put  the  police  on 
to  me?" 

"  No,"  said  Deringham,  making  the  best  play  he  could, 
though  he  realized  the  weakness  of  his  hand.  "  That  would 
not  appear  advisable — or  necessary.  It  would  be  simpler 
to  warn  my  kinsman." 

Hallam  laid  his  hand  upon  the  table,  and  Deringham 
noticed  that  it  was  coarse  and  ill-shaped,  but  suggested  a 
brutal  tenacity  of  grasp. 

"  Bluff,  with  nothing  behind  it.  You  don't  take  me  that 
way,"  he  said.  "  Now  I'll  put  my  cards  right  down  in 
front  of  you.  Alton  is  not  a  fool,  and  you  couldn't  tell 
him  anything  he  doesn't  know  already.  The  trouble  is,  he 
can  prove  nothing.  He  has'  a  tolerably  short  temper,  and 
one  day  he  'most  hammered  the  life  out  of  another  man  in 
the  Somasco  mill.  That  man  didn't  like  him  before,  and 
it's  quite  possible  he  fell  foul  of  Alton  after  it,  but  where 
does  that  take  in  me?  Got  hold  of  that,  haven't  you? 
Well,  then,  there's  just  this  difference  between  you  and  me. 
I  could  tell  Alton  one  or  two  things  about  you  he  didn't 
know !" 

"  I  would  be  willing  to  take  my  chance  of  his  believing 
you,"  said  Deringham. 

Hallam  laughed.  "  For  a  man  of  business  you  have  a 
plaguy  bad  memory.  Now  it  seems  to  me  quite  likely 
that  the  man  I  talked  about  has  had  quite  enough  of  fool- 
ing with  Alton,  and  we'll  let  what  you  asked  for  go  at 
that,  because  there's  something  else  we're  coming  to. 
There  was  a  cheque  you  gave  me,  and  I  had  who  it  was 
drawn  by  and  payable  to  put  down  on  the  slip  when  I 
passed  it  through  my  bank.  Now  I've  got  that  slip,  and 
after  I'd  had  a  talk  with  him,  Alton  wouldn't  wonder  what 
you  gave  me  all  those  dollars  for." 

Deringham  was  silent  almost  a  minute,  for  he  knew  his 

269 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

opponent  had  seen  the  weak  point.  Then  he  said,  "  If  I 
admitted  that  you  were  right  ?  " 

Hallam  raised  his  big  hand,  and  pressed  his  thumb  down 
slowly  and  viciously  on  the  table.  "  It  don't  need  admitting. 
I've  got  you  there,"  he  said.  "  Still,  I  don't  know  that  I 
want  to  squeeze  you.  Well,  I  once  kept  Alton  out  of 
Somasco  to  please  you,  and  now  I  want  you  to  keep  him 
right  here  in  Vancouver  for  a  while." 

"  I  could  not  do  it" 

"  Well,"  said  Hallam,  grinning,  "  if  you  couldn't,  I  figure 
your  daughter  could." 

Deringham  had  all  along  been  struggling  with  a  sense 
of  disgust,  and  now  his  anger  mastered  him.  It  was,  how- 
ever, the  rage  of  a  weak  man  which  is  not  far  removed  from 
fear. 

"  You  infernal  scoundrel,"  he  said. 

Hallam  laughed  brutally.  "  That  may  do  you  good,  and 
it  makes  no  difference  to  me,"  he  said.  "  I  want  Alton 
to  stop  here  just  three  weeks  from  to-day.  He'll  stay 
without  pressing  for  two  of  them,  I  think — and  you've  got 
to  keep  him  during  the  third  one.  There's  nothing  going  to 
hurt  him,  but  it  wouldn't  be  wise  to  fool  things,  you 
understand  ?  " 

He  took  up  his  hat  as  he  spoke,  and  moved  towards 
the  dopr,  while  Deringham's  eyes  blazed  when  it  closed 
behind  him. 

"  Damn  him !  "  he  said,  almost  choked  with  impotent  fury, 
and  then  sat  down  limply  with  a  face  that  grew  suddenly 
blanched.  His  hand  shook  as  he  seized  his  glass,  and  some 
of  the  wine  he  needed  was  spilled  upon  the  table,  for  his  eyes 
grew  dim  as  the  faintness  came  upon  him.  Deringham 
had  been  recommended  a  rest  from  all  excitement  and  busi- 
ness anxieties  before  he  sailed  from  England,  and  passion 
was  distinctly  injudicious  considering  the  condition  of  one 
of  his  organs. 


270 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

THE  FORCE  OF   CALUMNY 

As  Hallam  had  surmised,  one  or  two  affairs  of  importance 
detained  Alton  in  Vancouver.  The  winter  had  been  excep- 
tionally rigorous,  and  he  knew  that  the  claim  was  guarded 
securely  by  frost  and  snow.  Having  also,  he  fancied, 
effectually  silenced  his  indiscreet  visitor  by  flinging  him 
down-stairs,  he  thought  no  more  about  that  affair,  and  spent 
one  or  two  evenings  pleasantly  at  Forel's  house,  where 
Alice  Deringham  greeted  him  with  slightly  reserved 
cordiality. 

She  fancied  she  understood  his  reticence  on  the  memor- 
able evening  when  he  had  stumbled  on  the  stairway,  and 
was  not  altogether  displeased  by  it.  He  had,  it  seemed, 
been  over-sensitive,  for  he  was  but  slightly  lame,  while  she 
had  reasons  for  surmising  that  he  would  realize  there  was 
no  great  necessity  for  the  self-sacrifice  in  time.  Alice  Der- 
ingham was  not  unduly  vain,  but  she  knew  her  power, 
and  Alton  had  in  his  silence  betrayed  himself  again  and 
again.  Still,  it  seemed  only  fitting  that  he  should  make  the 
first  advances,  now  the  moment  when  she  might  have  done 
so  had  passed.  She  also  fancied  she  understood  the  motive 
which  prompted  his  answer  when  her  father  spoke  to  him 
respecting  Carnaby. 

"I  can't  go  over  now,"  he  said.  "Your  lawyers  and 
agents  can  look  after  the  place  a  little  longer,  and  I  needn't 
worry  if  you're  content  with  them.  Anyway,  all  of  it  does 
not  belong  to  me  and  we  will  see  what  we  can  fix  up 
between  us  when  I  go  over  by  and  by." 

This  was  pleasant  hearing  to  Deringham,  who  commenced 
to  hope  that  he  would  be  able  to  give  a  satisfactory  account 
of  his  stewardship  when  the  time  came,  and  winced  at  the 
recollection  of  the  folly  which  had  placed  him  in  Hallam's 

271 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

grasp.  Of  late  his  health  had  given  way  again,  and  that 
served  as  an  excuse  for  remaining  at  Vancouver,  which  he 
had  scarcely  the  courage  to  leave. 

Affairs  were  in  this  condition  when  Miss  Deringham  sat 
listening  to  the  conversation  of  other  visitors  in  the  house  of 
a  friend  of  Mrs.  Forel's  one  afternoon.  Now  and  then  a 
veiled  allusion  reached  her,  and  at  last  she  glanced  in- 
quiringly at  her  hostess. 

The  lady  smiled  deprecatingly  and  shook  her  head.  "  It 
is  really  indiscreet  of  Helen,  but  she  seems  to  believe  it  is 
true,"  she  said.  "  These  things  do  happen,  even  in  the  old 
country." 

Alice  Deringham  laughed.  "  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  con- 
trovert you  if  that  is  uncomplimentary,  because  I  don't 
know  what  you  are  alluding  to." 

Her  hostess  looked  thoughtful.  "Then  you  haven't 
heard  it  yet  ?  "  she  said.  "  Well,  I  am  not  the  one  to  tell 
you,  and  it  is  quite  possible  they  haven't  got  the  story 
correctly." 

Miss  Deringham  was  interested,  but  she  asked  no  more 
questions,  and  had  changed  her  place  when  she  once  more 
heard  a  subdued  voice  she  recognized  behind  a  great 
lacquered  screen. 

"  One  would  be  sorry  for  Hettie  Forel,  but  her  husband 
was  always  a  little  unguarded.  Opened  his  house  to  every- 
body, you  know." 

"  It  was  the  big  bushman  I  saw  there  ?  "  said  another 
person,  and  Alice  Deringham  felt  a  curious  little  quiver  in 
her  fingers  as  she  waited  the^  answer. 

"  Yes.  Hettie  will  feel  it.  She  made  such  a  fuss  of  him, 
but  it  mayn't  have  been  his  fault  altogether.  He  is  quite 
a  good-looking  man,  if  he  is  a  trifle  lame,  and  the  girl  may 
have  thrown  herself  at  him.  They  sometimes  do." 

Alice  Deringham  set  her  lips  and  turned  her  head  away 
from  her  companion  as  one  of  the  voices  continued. 
"  Hettie  has  not  heard  it  yet,  and  Tom  did  not  seem  sure 
about  it  when  he  told  me.  In  fact,  Forel  brought  the  man 
over  to  see  us  the  night  before,  but  it  is  quite  evident  now 
the  girl  had  been  living  there.  Yes,  Tom  heard  he  had 
rooms  behind  his  office." 

272 


THE   FORCE   OF   CALUMNY 

Miss  Deringham  had  recovered  her  outward  serenity, 
and  the  flush  had  faded  from  her  face,  leaving  it  very 
colourless  as  she  turned  to  her  companion. 

"  You  heard  that  woman  ?  "  she  said. 

The  lady  beside  her  nodded,  though  there  was  a  little 
pink  tinge  in  her  cheeks.  "  I  am  sorry  that  you  did,  my 
dear." 

Alice  Deringham  stood  up,  and  looked  down  at  her  with 
a  sparkle  in  her  eyes.  "  I  know,"  she  said,  "  that  it  cannot 
be  true." 

"  We  must  hope  so,"  said  her  companion,  who  appeared 
distinctly  uncomfortable.  "  Still,  the  story  is  being  told  all 
over  the  city,  and  several  of  the  houses  Forel  took  the  man 
to  are  closed  against  him  already." 

Alice  Deringham  seemed  to  shiver  a  little.  "  But — it  is 
impossible." 

Her  companion  shook  her  head.  "  My  husband  is  a 
member  of  the  company  which  employed  Miss  Townshead, 
and  as  the  man's  business  affairs  were  antagonistic  to  theirs 
she  was  dismissed  immediately." 

Alice  Deringham  found  it  very  difficult  to  conceal  the 
effect  of  this  last  blow,  and  was  turning  away  when  two 
women  rose  from  a  divan  behind  the  screen.  "  The  tea  is 
cold.  Shall  I  ask  for  some  more  for  you  ?  "  said  one  of 
them.  "  Pleased  to  see  you  again,  Miss  Deringham." 

She  got  no  further,  for  the  girl,  who  looked  her  full  in  the 
face,  passed  on,  and  the  other  woman  flushed  a  trifle. 

"  I'm  afraid  she  must  have  heard  you,"  said  somebody. 
"  Miss  Deringham  is,  I  believe,  a  connection  of  Alton's,  and 
Hettie  Forel  hinted  there  was  something  more  than  that 
between  them.  It  would  be  an  especially  suitable  match 
because  of  some  property  in  the  old  country." 

The  lady  she  spoke  to  smiled  somewhat  sourly.  "  Then 
one  would  be  a  trifle  sorry  for  the  rancher,"  she  said. 

It  cost  Miss  Deringham  a  good  deal  to  talk  to  her  hostess 
until  she  could  depart  without  attracting  attention,  and  she 
walked  back  to  Forel's  house  with  a  blaze  in  her  eyes.  As 
yet  she  could  not  think  connectedly,  for  the  astonishment 
had  left  no  room  for  more  than  vague  sensations  of  disgust 
and  anger  and  a  horrible  rankling  of  wounded  pride.  Mrs. 

273 


Forel  as  it  happened  was  busy,  and  the  girl  slipped  away  to 
a  room  that  was  seldom  occupied  and  sat  there  in  the 
gathering  darkness  staring  at  the  fire.  The  story  was,  she 
strove  to  persuade  herself,  utterly  impossible,  for  she  had 
probed  the  man's  character  thoroughly,  and  seen  that  it  was 
wholesome  through  all  its  crudities — and  yet  it  was  evident 
the  horrible  tale  must  have  some  foundation,  because  other- 
wise refutation  would  be  so  simple. 

Almost  incredible  as  it  was,  the  belief  that  it  was  borne 
out  by  fact  was  forced  upon  her,  and  too  dazed  to  reason 
clearly  she  shrank  with  an  overwhelming  sense  of  disgust. 
She  had,  it  seemed,  wilfully  deceived  herself,  and  the  man 
was,  as  she  had  fancied  at  the  beginning,  without  sensibility 
or  refinement,  brutal  in  his  forcefulness,  and  swayed  by 
elementary  passions.  Then  she  writhed  under  the  memory 
of  the  occasions  on  which  she  had  unbent  somewhat  far  to 
him,  and  the  recollection  of  two  incidents  in  the  sickroom 
stung  her  pride  to  the  quick ;  while  when  the  booming  of  a 
gong  rolled  through  the  house,  she  rose  faint  and  cold  with 
an  intensity  of  anger  that  for  the  time  being  drove  out  any 
other  feeling.  It  would  have  gone  very  hardly  with  Alton 
had  chance  afforded  her  the  means  of  punishing  him  just 
then. 

As  fate  would  have  it  the  opportunity  was  also  given  her, 
for  that  evening  Deringham,  who  had  heard  nothing  of  the 
story,  was  able  to  secure  a  few  minutes  alone  with  his 
daughter.  He  was,  she  noticed,  looking  unusually  pale  and 
ill,  and  that  reminded  her  that  he  owed  all  his  anxieties  to 
Alton. 

"  Our  kinsman  is  going  back  to  Somasco  very  shortly,  and 
then  on  into  the  ranges.  I  wish  he  could  be  prevented,"  he 
said. 

The  girl  laughed  a  little.  "  I  think  it  would  be  difficult 
to  prevent  Mr.  Alton  doing  anything  he  had  decided  on." 

"  Yes,"  said  Deringham.  "  He  can  be  exasperatingly 
obstinate,  but — and  I  put  it  frankly — he  might  listen  to  you. 
The  journey  he  contemplates  would  be  apt  to  prove  perilous 
at  this  season." 

Alice  Deringham  looked  at  her  father  with  a  smile  the 
meaning  of  which  he  could  not  fathom.  He  did  not  know 

274 


THE   FORCE   OF   CALUMNY 

that  she  had  of  late  been  disturbed  by  unpleasant  suspicions 
concerning  his  connection  with  Hallam. 

"  I  fancy  you  are  mistaken.  You  are  of  course  influenced 
by  a  desire  for  his  safety  ?  " 

Deringham  winced,  for  he  recognized  the  tone  of  sardonic 
scepticism,  but  he  was  horribly  afraid  of  Hallam,  and  could 
not  afford  to  fail. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  with  a  gesture  of  weariness,  "  I  am 
afraid  I  must  make  an  admission.  I  am  hemmed  in  by 
almost  overwhelming  anxieties,  and  I  have  come  to  no 
understanding  yet  with  Alton  respecting  Carnaby.  Now  if 
disaster  overtook  him  in  the  ranges  it  would  entail  an  in- 
vestigation of  the  Carnaby  affairs,  and  the  withdrawal  of  a 
good  deal  of  money  from  my  companies,  which  would 
seriously  hamper  me.  I  have  once  or  twice  had  to  slightly 
exceed  my  duties  as  trustee,  and  Alton  would  approve  of 
steps  I  have  taken  which  a  lawyer  or  accountant  would 
consider  irregular.  Of  course,  if  you  had  any  knowledge 
of  business  I  could  make  it  more  clear  to  you,  but  I  can 
only  tell  you  that  I  am  anxious  about  Alton's  safety  for  my 
own  sake  as  well  as  his." 

Alice  Deringham  turned  towards  him  with  a  trace  of  im- 
patience. "  We  may  as  well  be  honest,  and  I  fancy  Mr. 
Alton  is  used  to  risks,"  she  said  quietly.  "  Whether  he 
encounters  more  than  usual  just  now  or  otherwise  is 
absolutely  no  concern  of  mine." 

Deringham  saw  the  change  in  her  and  wondered,  but 
resolved  to  profit  by  it. 

"  I  want  him  kept  here  a  little  longer.  It  is  important 
to  me,"  he  said. 

The  girl  saw  the  hand  of  Hallam  in  this,  and  surmised 
that  it  would  not  be  to  Alton's  advantage  if  he  postponed 
his  journey,  but  she  was  vindictively  bitter  against  him 
then,  and  glanced  at  her  father  inquiringly.  It  was  evident 
that  he  was  anxious  and  ill,  and  she  was  sensible  of  a  pity 
that  had  yet  a  trace  of  contempt  in  it  for  him. 

"  Still,  I  do  not  see  how  I  could  induce  him  to  remain," 
she  said. 

"  Well,"  said  Deringham  slowly,  "  there  is  a  way.  Forel 
will  be  here  in  a  minute — but  if  you  would  listen  to  me." 

275 


Deringham  seemed  to  find  a  difficulty  in  commencing, 
and  there  was  a  curious  expression  in  his  restless  eyes, 
while  once  or  twice  he  stopped  and  proceeded  somewhat 
inconsequently.  He  had  made  tools  of  a  good  many  men 
and  befooled  the  public  without  any  especial  scruples,  but 
there  was  a  shred  of  pride  left  him,  and  this  was  the  first 
time  he  had  stooped  to  drag  his  daughter  into  his  schemes. 
His  story  lacked  plausibility,  and  the  girl  was  not  deceived, 
but  he  was  her  father,  and  it  was  his  cause  she  was  asked 
to  further  against  the  man  who  had  humiliated  her  and  dis- 
possessed him.  She  glanced  away  from  him  when  he  had 
finished,  but  her  voice  was  quietly  even. 

"  I  think  I  shall  be  sorry  for  it  ever  afterwards,  but  I  will 
do  what  you  ask,"  she  said. 

Deringham,  who  was  slightly  bewildered  by  something  in 
her  attitude,  sighed  with  relief,  and  then  turned  with  the 
grotesque  resemblance  of  a  smile  in  his  face  to  greet  Forel, 
who  came  in. 

"  Gillard  has  been  called  away  south  on  business  and  has 
sent  me  word  he  can  let  me  have  the  places  at  the  opera- 
house  for  both  nights,"  he  said.  "  No  doubt  you  have  seen 
the  great  man  in  England  with  his  regular  company,  but 
a  treat  of  the  kind  is  appreciated  here,  and  Gillard  bought 
up  a  row  of  places,  the  best  in  the  house.  My  wife  is 
wondering  who  she  should  ask,  and  would  like  to  know  if 
Miss  Deringham  has  any  preference." 

Deringham  glanced  at  his  daughter,  and  then  smiled  at 
his  host.  "  One  feels  a  little  diffident  about  returning  a 
favour  at  somebody  else's  expense,  but  my  kinsman  Alton 
was  very  kind  to  us  in  the  bush,"  he  said. 

Forel  appeared  a  trifle  embarrassed,  and  Alice  Deringham 
felt  her  neck  grow  warm  as  she  watched  him.  "  We  can 
talk  about  it  later,  but  I  scarcely  think  Mr.  Alton  would 
come  just  now  if  he  was  asked,"  he  said. 

The  girl  turned  away,  for  she  could  comprehend  Forel's 
discomfiture,  while  as  they  followed  him  her  father  touched 
her. 

"  Get  Mr.  Alton  there  on  the  second  night,  and  that  is  all 
I  ask,"  he  said. 

It  was  two  days  later  when  Alton  returned  to  his  office 

276 


THE    FORCE    OF    CALUMNY 

in  a  somewhat  uncertain  temper.  He  had  called  at  Forel's 
house  the  previous  evening,  and  been  informed  that  Mrs. 
Forel  was  not  at  home,  though  the  blaze  of  lights  and  music 
made  it  evident  that  she  was  entertaining  a  good  many 
guests.  He  had  also  waited  a  considerable  time  for  a  banker 
who  had  been  apparently  willing  to  make  him  certain  ad- 
vances a  few  days  earlier,  and  when  he  came  to  complete 
the  transaction,  raised  wholly  unexpected  difficulties.  After- 
wards he  called  upon  a  dealer  in  tools  and  sawmill 
machinery,  who,  after  professing  his  willingness  to  deal 
with  him  on  usual  easy  terms,  demanded  a  cheque  with 
the  order.  Alton  fancied  he  recognized  the  hand  of  Hallam 
in  tHis,  but  there  was  also  something  else  which  troubled 
him.  Some  of  the  men  he  had  business  with  had  been  a 
trifle  abrupt  in  their  greetings,  and  others  smiled  sardon- 
ically when  they  saw  him. 

As  he  strode  down  the  corridor  the  keeper  of  the  building 
signed  to  him.  "  There  was  a  young  man  here  asking  for 
you,"  he  said.  "  Told  me  he  was  Mr.  Townshead,  and  he'd 
be  back  again." 

Alton  had  scarcely  reopened  his  office  when  a  produce 
broker  he  had  dealings  with  came  in.  "  I've  worked  off  the 
first  two  car-loads,  and  you  can  send  some  more  along,"  he 
said.  "  Now,  it's  not  quite  my  business,  but  if  you'll  not 
stand  out  about  the  usual  commission  I  can  put  you  on  to 
a  man  who  wants  a  hundred  fat  cattle." 

"  It's  a  deal,"  said  Alton,  glancing  thoughtfully  at  his 
visitor,  whom  he  considered  an  honest  man.  "  Now  I 
think  you  know  a  good  deal  about  all  that  goes  on  in  this 
city?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  other  man,  "  I  have  to.  Glad  to  be  of 
any  use  to  you  I  can." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  "  I've  noticed  men  smiling  at  me 
kind  of  curiously,  and  I  want  to  know  right  off  what's 
the  meaning  of  it.  There's  nothing  especially  humorous 
about  me." 

"  You  don't  know  ?  "  and  his  visitor  appeared  to  reflect 
when  Alton  shook  his  head. 

"  Then  to  put  it  straight,  there  are  folks  who  would  not 
believe  you.  No,  stop  a  little,  I  mentioned  nothing  about 

277 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

myself.  Have  you  done  anything  lately  that  might  have 
hurt  the  susceptibilities  of  Mr.  Cartier?" 

Alton  laughed  grimly.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  hope  so.  I 
hove  him  out  of  this  place  one  night  and  he  fell  down- 
stairs." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other  man,  smiling,  "  that  accounts  for 
a  good  deal.  Do  you  happen  to  be  on  good  terms  with 
Mr.  Hallam?  Cartier  is." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  dryly,  "  I  don't.  When  Mr.  Hallam 
and  I  feel  at  peace  one  of  us  will  be  dead." 

"  Now,  this  thing  is  getting  a  little  more  clear  to  me.  I 
wasn't  willing  to  believe  all  I  heard,  anyway." 

"  That,"  said  Alton,  "  does  not  concern  me.  The  question 
is  what  did  you  hear?  '* 

The  other  man  appeared  embarrassed  and  sat  silent  a 
space.  "  I  think  it's  only  right  that  you  should  know,"  he 
said.  "  Well — according  to  Cartier — there  was  a  lady  here 
when  he  came  in  close  on  midnight,  and  he  gave  folks  the 
impression  that  she  stayed  here  altogether.  That  wouldn't 
possibly  have  counted  for  so  much,  but  it  also  got  about 
that  she  made  use  of  her  place  to  give  you  information 
that  was  worth  a  good  deal  about  the  business  of  Hallam 
and  the  folks  she  worked  for." 

Alton's  face  grew  almost  purple,  but  the  dark  hue  faded 
and  left  it  unusually  pale  again.  "That,"  he  said  very 
slowly,  "  is  a  damnable  lie.  The  lady  alluded  to  was  here 
once  only,  and  for  at  the  most  three  minutes." 

The  other  man  grew  a  trifle  uneasy  under  his  gaze. 
"  Of  course,"  he  said,  "  your  word  will  do  for  me.  Still,  she 
was  here,  you  see — and  it's  difficult  to  rub  out  a  lie  with 
that  much  behind  it.  I'm  afraid  you'll  find  it  stick  to  you 
both  like  glue,  especially  as  her  employers  turned  the  girl 
out  immediately.  Anyway,  I'll  do  what  I  can  for  you, 
and  now  about  that  other  car-load  and  the  cattle  ?  " 

Alton  brought  his  hand  down  crashing  on  the  table. 
"The  cattle?  Oh,  get  out  and  come  back  to-morrow  or 
next  month,  when  I  feel  less  like  killing  somebody !  " 

The  other  man  appeared  quite  willing  to  accept  his  dis- 
missal, and  Alton  vacantly  noticed  that  a  black  stream  of 
ink  was  trickling  across  the  table.  Mechanically  he  dabbled 

278 


THE    FORCE    OF    CALUMNY 

his  handkerchief  in  it  and  then  flung  it  and  the  ink-vessel 
into  the  grate,  after  which  he  sat  still  with  a  black  stain 
upon  the  cheek  that  rested  on  his  fist. 

"  The  plucky  little  soul — and  they've  turned  her  out," 
he  said.  "  Lord,  but  somebody  has  got  to  pay  for  this !  " 

He  did  not  move  for  at  least  ten  minutes,  while  the 
clamour  of  the  city  vibrated  through  the  silent  room,  and 
when  his  first  anger  passed  away  became  sensible  of  a  great 
pity  for  the  girl  who  had  risked  so  much  for  him.  It 
appeared  only  too  probable  that  because  of  the  modicum 
of  truth  it  was  founded  on  the  lie  would  stick  to  both  of 
them,  and  now  when  it  was  too  late  Alton  regretted  his 
folly.  He  had  been  fully  justified  in  kicking  Cartier  out  of 
his  rooms,  but  he  knew  that  everything  that  is  legitimate  is 
not  advisable,  and  groaned  as  he  saw  what  the  story  must 
cost  the  defenceless  girl  who  had  a  living  to  earn  and  her 
father  to  maintain.  There  was  so  far  as  he  could  see  no 
way  out  of  the  difficulty  yet — and  the  one  that  concerned 
himself  was  almost  as  formidable,  for  he  knew  Alice  Der- 
ingham's  pride,  and  the  damning  fact  remained  that  he 
could  not  deny  the  whole  story. 

He  had  flung  himself  back  wearily  in  his  chair  when 
there  was  a  step  in  the  passage  and  a  young  man  came  in. 
He  walked  straight  forward,  and  stood  with  one  hand  on 
Alton's  table  looking  down  on  him  with  wonder  and  anger 
in  his  face.  His  eyes  were  unusually  bright,  and  there  was 
a  great  contusion  on  his  forehead. 

"  Jack,"  said  Alton  simply.  "  Well,  sit  down  there,  and 
I'll  try  to  talk  to  you.  This  is  a  devilish  mess  I've  got  into. 
Only  heard  about  it  ten  minutes  ago." 

Jack  Townshead  did  not  move  at  all.  "  I'll  stand  in  the 
meantime,"  he  said  harshly.  "  Unfortunately  there  are 
more  concerned  than  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  wearily.  "  Don't  rub  it  in.  I  know. 
Who  was  it  told  you  ?  " 

"  That's  beyond  the  question,"  said  the  lad.  "  Still,  last 
night  one  of  our  men  who'd  been  down  here  came  in  and 
was  telling  the  story  in  the  boys'  sleeping-shed.  I  knocked 
him  down — that  is,  I  meant  to,  and  started  out  by  the  first 
train.  I'm  at  the  mine  on  the  south  road  now." 

279 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"You  haven't  been  home?" 

"  No,"  said  Townshead  grimly.  "  I  came  straight  to  you, 
and  in  the  first  place  you're  coming  with  me  everywhere  to 
deny  this  story." 

Alton  sat  very  still  for  a  space,  and  the  lad  seemed  to 
quiver  as  he  watched  him.  "  I  can't — that  is,  not  all  of  it." 

Every  trace  of  colour  faded  from  Jack  Townshead's 
face.  "  Good  Lord !  Damn  you,  Alton — it  can't  be  true." 

Alton  rose  up  slowly  and  stretched  his  hand  out,  while  the 
veins  swelled  out  on  his  forehead.  Then  he  dropped  it 
again. 

"  You'll  be  sorry  for  this  by  and  by,  Jack,"  he  said. 
"  Don't  you  know  your  sister  better — you  fool  ?  Now  sit 
down  there,  and  I'll  tell  you  everything." 

The  lad  was  evidently  spirited,  but  he  was  a  trifle  awed 
by  what  he  saw  in  Alton's  eyes,  and  did  as  he  was  bidden. 
The  hoarse  voice  he  listened  to  carried  conviction  with  it, 
but  his  face  was  almost  haggard  when  the  story  was  con- 
cluded. "  Now,"  said  Alton  very  slowly,  "  that's  all,  and 
for  your  sister's  sake  you  dare  not  disbelieve  me." 

Jack  Townshead  groaned.  "Thank  God,"  he  said,  with 
a  tremor  in  his  voice.  "  But,  Harry,  what  is  to  be  done  ? 
I  simply  can't  tell  the  old  man— and  there's  Nellie.  You 
can't  deny  sufficient  to  be  any  good — and  the  cursed  thing 
will  kill  her.  Now  I'm  trying  not  to  blame  you — but  there 
must  be  a  way  of  getting  out  somehow — and  it's  for  you  to 
find  it." 

Alton  leaned  upon  the  table  a  trifle  more  heavily,  his  eyes 
half -closed,  and  one  hand  clenched. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  slowly.  "  There  is  a  way — and  I'm  be- 
ginning to  see  it  now.  Get  your  hat,  Jack,  and  in  the  first 
place  we'll  go  right  along  and  see  Mr.  Cartier." 

The  lad  rose,  and  then,  possibly  because  he  was  over- 
strung and  needed  relief  in  some  direction,  laughed  harshly. 
"  I  think  you  had  better  wash  your  face  before  you  go,"  he 
said. 

Twenty  minutes  later  they  entered  an  office  together  and 
Alton  signed  to  a  clerk.  "Tell  Mr.  Cartier  I'm  wanting 
to  see  him  right  now,"  he  said.  "  You  know  who  I  am." 

The  man  smiled,  for  he  probably  also  grasped  the  purport 

280 


THE   FORCE   OF   CALUMNY 

of  Alton's  visit.     "  Then  you  had  better  come  back  in  a 
week,"  he  said.    "  He  went  across  to  Victoria  yesterday." 
"  That,"  said  Alton  grimly,  "  was  wise  of  him." 
They  went  out,  and  the  lad  glanced  at  his  companion. 
"  It  is  of  the  least  importance.    There  is  more  to  be  done !  " 
"  Yes,"  said  Alton  simply.     "  You  have  my-  sympathy, 
Jack,  but  just  now  I  can't  do  with  too  much  of  you.    Go 
right  away — to  anywhere,  and  don't  come  back  until  you're 
wanted.    I've  got  to  think  how  I  can  best  do  the  thing  that's 
right  to  everybody." 


281 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 


ALTON   FINDS  A   WAY 

DAYLIGHT  was  fading,  and  it  was  growing  dim  in  the 
little  upper  room  where  Miss  Townshead  sat  alone.  The 
front  of  the  stove  was,  however,  open,  and  now  and  then  a 
flicker  of  radiance  fell  upon  the  girl,  and  showed  that  her 
eyes  were  hazy,  and  there  were  traces  of  moisture  on  her 
cheek.  Her  patience  had  been  taxed  to  the  uttermost  that 
day,  but  Townshead,  who  had  spent  most  of  it  in  querulous 
reproaches,  had  gone  out,  and  his  daughter  was  thankful  to 
be  alone  at  last,  for  the  effort  to  retain  a  show  of  composure 
had  become  almost  unendurable. 

It  was  with  a  sinking  heart  she  glanced  down  across  the 
roofs  of  the  city  into  the  busy  streets  where  already  the 
big  lights  were  blinking,  and  remembered  all  she  had  borne 
with  there  during  the  last  few  days.  Somebody,  it  seemed, 
had  industriously  spread  the  story  of  her  dismissal,  and 
a  refusal  had  followed  every  application  she  made  for 
employment;  but  while  that  alone  was  sufficient  to  cause 
her  consternation,  the  half-contemptuous  pity  of  her  former 
companions,  and  the  fashion  in  which  one  or  two  of  them 
had  avoided  her,  were  almost  worse  to  bear,  and  sitting 
alone  in  the  gathering  darkness  the  girl  flushed  crimson  at 
the  memory.  There  was  also  the  grim  question  by  what 
means  she  could  stave  off  actual  want  to  grapple  with,  and 
to  that  she  could  as  yet  find  no  answer,  while  her  eyes  grew 
dim  as  she  glanced  about  the  little  room.  Townshead  had 
changed  his  quarters,  and  many  of  the  trifles  that  caught 
his  daughter's  glance  had  cost  her  a  meal  or  hour*  of  labour 
with  the  needle  after  a  long  day  in  the  city,  but  they  made 
the  place  a  home,  and  she  knew  what  it  would  cost  her  to 
part  with  them. 

Twice  she  had  raised  her  head  and  straightened  herself 

282 


with  an  effort,  while  a  flicker  of  pride  and  resolution  crept 
into  her  eyes,  only  to  sink  back  again  limply  in  her  chair, 
when  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door,  and  she  rose  as 
some  one  came  into  the  room.  Then  she  set  her  lips  and 
stood  up  very  straight  as  she  saw  that  it  was  Alton. 

"  I  could  find  nobody  about,  and  there  was  no  answer 
when  I  knocked,"  he  said.  "  So  I  just  came  in." 

The  girl  moved  a  little  so  that  she  could  see  his  face  in 
the  light  from  the  stove,  and  it  was  quietly  stern,  but  the 
movement  had  served  two  purposes,  for  her  own  was  now 
invisible. 

"  And  you  fancied  you  could  dispense  with  common 
courtesy  in  my  case  ?  "  she  said. 

Alton  made  a  little  grave  gesture  of  deprecation.  "  I 
wanted  to  see  you — very  much — but  please  sit  down." 

Nellie  Townshead  took  the  chair  he  drew  out,  and  was 
glad  that  it  was  in  the  shadow,  for  Alton  stood  leaning 
against  the  window-casing  looking  down  on  her  with  grave 
respect  and  pity  in  his  face. 

"  I  am  a  little  lame — as  you  may  have  heard,"  he  said, 
as  though  to  explain  his  attitude. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  whose  composure  returned  as  she 
saw  that  he  was  temporizing.  "  I  am  sorry." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton  quietly,  "  so  am  I — especially  just 
now — but  I  did  not  come  to  talk  to  you  about  my  injury." 

Nellie  Townshead  appeared  very  collected  as  she  glanced 
in  his  direction,  for  she  had  a  good  courage,  and  had  been 
taught  already  that  when  an  issue  is  unavoidable  it  is  better 
to  face  it  boldly. 

"  One  would  scarcely  have  fancied  that  was  your  object." 

"  No,"  said  Alton  very  quietly.  "  Now  I  am  just  a  plain 
bush  rancher,  and  don't  know  how  to  put  things  nicely, 
but  I  don't  know  that  there's  any  disrespect  in  a  straight 
question,  and  I  came  to  ask  if  you  would  marry  me." 

The  girl  was  mistress  of  herself,  and  the  man's  naive 
directness  was  in  a  fashion  reassuring.  She  was  also,  for 
a  moment,  very  angry. 

"  It  is  a  little  sudden,  is  it  not  ?  "  she  said.  "  Did  I  ever 
give  you  any  cause  for  believing  that  I  would  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  "  I  don't  think  you  did." 

283 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Nellie  Townshead  afterwards  wondered  a  little  at  Her 
composure  and  temerity,  but  she  fancied  she  knew  what 
had  prompted  the  man,  and,  because  it  hurt  her  horribly, 
all  the  pride  she  had  came  to  her  assistance,  and  in  place 
of  embarrassment  she  was  sensible  of  a  desire  to  test  him 
to  the  uttermost. 

"  Then,"  she  said,  "  one  should  have  a  reason  for  asking 
such  a  question,  and,  at  least,  something  to  urge  in  support 
of  it." 

Alton  moved  forward,  and  leaned  over  the  back  of  her 
chair,  where  because  he  did  most  things  thoroughly  he 
attempted  to  lay  one  hand  caressingly  on  her  hair.  Miss 
Townshead,  however,  moved  her  head  suddenly,  and  the 
man  drew  back  a  pace  with  a  flush  in  his  face. 

"  It  is  very  lonely  up  at  the  ranch,  and  I  have  begun  to 
see  that  I  have  been  missing  the  best  of  life.  Mine  is 
too  grim  and  bare,  and  I  want  somebody  to  brighten  and 
sweeten  it  for  me." 

The  girl  was  very  collected.  What  she  had  borne  during 
the  last  few  days  had  turned  her  gentleness  into  bitterness 
and  anger.  Thus  it  was,  with  a  curious  dispassionate 
interest  she  would  have  been  incapable  of  under  different 
circumstances,  she  continued  to  try  the  man,  realizing  that 
though  it  was  no  doubt  unpleasant  to  him,  there  was  one 
great  reason  which  precluded  the  possibility  of  his  suffering 
as  he  would  otherwise  have  done. 

"  But  you  are  going  to  live  in  the  city  now,"  she  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  That  is  why  I  want  you 
more.  You  see  I  know  so  little,  and  there  is  so  much  you 
could  teach  me.  I  want  somebody  to  lead  me  where  I 
could  not  otherwise  go,  though  I  know  it  is  asking  a  great 
deal  while  I  can  give  so  little." 

This,  the  girl  realized,  was,  though  somewhat  impersonal, 
wholly  genuine.  The  tone  of  chivalrous  respect  rang  true, 
and  she  could  comprehend  the  half-instinctive*  straining 
after  an  ideal  by  one  whose  belief  in  her  sex  was,  if  slightly 
crude,  almost  reverential.  It  touched  her,  though  she  knew 
that  to  benefit  him  it  could  only  be  offered  to  one  woman, 
and  she  was  not  that  one. 

"  And  that  is  all? "  she  said. 

284 


ALTON   FINDS   A  WAY 

"  Of  course ! "  said  Alton  too  decisively,  because  he  re- 
membered, as  Miss  Townshead  quite  realized,  that  the  other 
reason  must  always  remain  hidden.  This  was  also  as  balm 
to  her  pride,  and  there  was  a  trace  of  a  smile  in  her  eyes. 

"  It  is,  as  you  appear  to  understand,  very  little." 

"  Well,"  said  Alton,  who  seemed  to  take  courage,  "  now 
when  I  see  your  meaning  there  is  a  trifle  more." 

Again  he  moved  a  pace,  and  the  girl  fancied  he  would 
have  laid  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder.  "  No,"  she  said 
decisively. 

Alton  sighed,  and  his  face  became  impassive,  but  it 
seemed  to  the  girl  that  there  was  relief  in  it. 

"  I  think  I  could  be  kind  to  you  and  make  things  smooth 
for  you,"  he  said  very  simply.  "  I  should  always  look  up 
to  you,  and  I  wouldn't  ask  for  very  much — only  to  see  you 
happy." 

He  stopped  apparently  for  inspiration,  and  Nellie  Towns- 
head  smiled  a  little.  "  Do  you  think  that  last  was  wise  ?  " 

Alton  turned  towards  her  with  a  little  glint  in  his  eyes, 
and  the  girl,  who  knew  his  temperament,  felt  that  she  had 
gone  far  enough.  He  had  borne  it  very  well,  and  it  seemed 
to  her  that  other  men  might  have  handled  the  situation, 
which  was  difficult,  less  delicately. 

"  I  asked  you  a  question,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  still 
waits  an  answer." 

The  girl  rose  and  stood  looking  at  him  with  a  little 
colour  in  her  cheeks  and  a  flash  in  her  eyes,  but  there  was 
that  in  her  attitude  which  held  Alton  at  a  distance.  "  If 
you  were  not  the  man  you  are,  and  I  was  a  little  weaker,  I 
should  have  said  yes,"  she  said.  "As  it  is — there  is  noth- 
ing that  would  induce  me  to  marry  you." 

It  was  almost  dark  now,  and  Nellie  Townshead  could  not 
see  her  companion's  face,  but  she  was  no  longer  careful  to 
keep  her  own  in  the  shadow,  even  when  the  radiance  from 
the  stove  flickered  about  the  room. 

"  Will  you  not  think  it  over?  "  he  said  very  quietly.  "  I 
know  how  unfit  I  am  for  you — and  I  am  a  cripple — 
but " 

The  light  was  now  more  visible  in  Nellie  Townshead's 
eyes,  but  her  voice  was  gentle.  "  No,"  she  said.  "  There 

285 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

are  two  very  good  reasons  why  it  is  impossible — and  you 
know  one  of  them.  Now  do  you  believe  I  do  not  know 
what  brought  you  here  to-day?" 

"  I  think  I  have  been  trying  to  tell  you,"  said  Alton 
sturdily.  "  If  you  fancy  it  was  anything  else  you  are 
wrong." 

The  girl  shook  her  head.  "  You  are  a  good  man,  Harry 
Alton,  but  not  a  clever  one.  Only  that  it  would  have  been 
a  wrong  to  you,  you  would  almost  have  persuaded  me — 
by  your  silence  chiefly.  Still,  you  must  go  away,  and  never 
speak  of  this  again." 

Alton  stood  still  a  moment  glancing  at  her  with  pity  and 
a  great  admiration.  The  girl  was  good  to  look  upon,  he 
knew  her  courage,  and  now  as  she  flung  all  that  he  could 
offer  her  away  and  stood  alone  and  friendless  with  the 
world  against  her,  but  undismayed,  all  his  heart  went  out 
to  her,  and  what  he  had  commenced  from  duty  he  could 
almost  have  continued  from  inclination. 

"  Please  listen  just  a  little,  and  I'll  be  quite  frank,"  he 
said.  "  You  told  me  there  were  two  reasons." 

Possibly  the  girl  read  what  was  passing  in  his  mind,  for 
she  smiled  curiously. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  go — now — and  leave  me  only  a 
kindly  memory  of  you.  Do  you  think  I  should  be  content 
to  take — the  second  place  ?  "  she  said.  "  Nothing  that  you 
could  tell  me  would  remove  one  of  the  obstacles,  and  you 
will  be  grateful  presently.  When  that  time  comes  be  wise, 
and  don't  ask  for  less  than  everything." 

Alton  said  nothing  further,  and  when  his  steps  rang 
hollowly  down  the  stairway  the  girl  sat  down  and  sighed. 
Then  she  laughed  a  curious  little  laugh  and  stopped  to 
brush  the  tears  from  her  eyes. 

As  it  happened,  while  Nellie  Townshead  sat  alone  in  the 
darkness  Miss  Deringham  was  writing  a  note  to  Alton. 
Spoiled  sheets  of  paper  were  scattered  about  the  table,  and 
though  there  was  nobody  to  see  it  the  girl's '  face  was 
flushed  as  she  glanced  down  at  the  last  one.  The  message 
it  bore  was  somewhat  laconic  and  ran,  "  We  are  going  to 
the  opera-house  on  Thursday,  and  as  there  is  a  place  not 
filled  I  would  like  to  see  you  there  before  you  start  for 

286 


the  ranges,  if  you  know  of  no  reason  why  you  should  not 
come." 

She  gave  it  to  a  maid,  and  sat  still  until  she  heard  a  door 
swing  to,  then  rose  swiftly  and  ran  down  tbe  stairway. 
She  met  the  maid  at  the  foot  of  it,  and  said  breathlessly,  "  I 
want  to  add  something  to  the  letter." 

"  It's  too  late,  miss,"  said  the  maid,  who  was  a  recent 
importation  from  Britain.  "  I  gave  it  John  the  Chinaman, 
and  he  went  off  trotting  as  usual.  I  couldn't  overtake 
him." 

Alice  Deringham  smiled  a  little,  though  her  voice  belied 
her  as  she  said,  "  It  is  of  no  importance.  I  can  write 
another." 

She  knew,  however,  that  no  second  message  she  could 
send  would  repair  what  she  had  done,  for  Alton  had  timed 
his  departure  for  the  ranges  next  day,  and  several  must 
elapse  before  Thursday  came.  He  would,  she  also  felt 
assured,  not  fail  to  come. 

Miss  Deringham  was  justified,  for  a  few  days  later 
Seaforth  stood  waiting  in  the  snow  with  a  pack-horse's 
bridle  in  his  hand,  and  several  brawny  men  with  heavy 
packs  slung  about  them  close  by,  when  Tom  of  Okanagan 
drove  into  the  clearing  as  fast  as  his  smoking  team  could 
haul  the  jolting  wagon. 

"  You  can  sling  all  those  things  down  again,"  he  said. 
"  Thomson  rode  in  with  a  wire  from  the  railroad,  and 
Harry's  not  coming." 

"  Not  coming  ?  "  said  Seaforth  bewilderedly  as  he  opened 
the  message.  "  We've  no  time  to  lose — now." 

Then  he  crumpled  the  strip  of  paper  angrily.  "  We'll 
push  on  slowly,  boys,  until  he  comes  up  with  us,  but  you 
had  better  wait  for  him,  Tom,"  he  said,  and  added  half 
aloud,  "  The  devil  take  all  women !  " 

Miss  Deringham  went  to  the  opera-house  on  Thursday 
with  a  somewhat  distinguished  party,  and  though  a  storm 
of  applause  greeted  the  eminent  English  dramatist,  and  the 
play  was  a  popular  one,  saw  very  little  of  him  or  the  first 
act  of  it/  Then  when  the  glitter  of  lights  filled  the  building 
as  the  curtain  went  down  she  looked  about  her  with  veiled 
expectancy.  She  knew  Alton  of  Somasco,  and  that  if  in- 

287 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

tended  to  keep  the  assignation  he  would  then  come  when 
everybody  could  see  him. 

She  had  also  surmised  correctly,  for  just  then  Alton,  who 
had  shouldered  his  way  through  a  group  in  a  corridor, 
moved  down  it  under  a  blaze  of  light,  his  head  erect,  and 
his  face  somewhat  grim  as  he  saw  the  smiles  and  glances 
of  disapproval  of  those  who  made  way  for  him.  As  the 
rancher  who  was  fighting  Hallam  and  the  capitalists  behind 
him  he  was  already  known  in  that  city,  and  the  story  that 
the  woman  who  was  spoken  of  with  him  had  assisted  him 
from  the  beginning  by  betraying  the  secrets  of  those  who 
employed  her  at  his  instigation  had  spread,  and  told  against 
him. 

Alton  saw  it  all,  and  did  not  for  a  moment  turn  aside  so 
long  as  the  smiles  and  whispers  were  directed  at  him,  but 
he  stopped  and  waited,  leaning  on  a  chair  some  distance 
behind  the  spot  where  Forel's  party  were  until  the  curtain 
rose  again.  The  next  act  commenced,  as  he  knew,  with  a 
night  scene,  and  while  most  of  the  audience  had  no  eyes 
for  any  one  but  the  great  tragedian,  he  moved  forward 
quickly,  and  Alice  Dermgham  turned  her  head  a  trifle  as  a 
shadowy  form  slipped  into  the  vacant  place  beside  her. 
She  could  scarcely  see  the  man,  and  was  not  certain  that 
she  desired  to,  but  she  would  have  known  who  he  was  had 
he  been  wholly  invisible. 

"  It  is  you,"  she  said  softly,  "  I  knew  that  you  would 
come." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  You  asked  me  to,  but  now  I  know 
that  I  should  not  have  done  so." 

"And  that  I  should  not  have  asked  you?"  said  Alice 
Deringham.  "You  should  have  been  on  your  journey 
already." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  That  was  not  what  I  meant — 
as  of  course  you  know,"  he  said.  "  Still,  I  wanted  to  see 
you — and  I  had  to  come."  > 

"Why?" 

Alton  was  silent  a  little.    "  It  may  be  the  last  time." 

Alice  Deringham  shivered.    "  But  there  is  no  reason  ?  " 

"No— and  yes,"  said  Alton  grimly.  "I— and  it  is  due 
to  you  and  another  to  tell  you  this — have  done  no  wrong, 

288 


ALTON  FINDS   A  WAY 

but  there  are  reasons  why  I  should  not  intrude  myself  into 
your  company,  and  I  am  going  back  up  there'  into  the 
snow  to-morrow." 

^  "  But,"  said  the  girl,  feeling  horribly'  guilty,  "  there  are 
times  when  one's  friends  can  do  a  good  deal  for  one." 

Alton  seemed  to  laugh  a  trifle  bitterly.  "  Yes,"  he  said. 
"  Still,  I  do  not  care  to  trouble  mine  in  that  direction.  One 
must  stand  alone  now  and  then,  and  things  have  not  been 
going  well  with  me  lately.  I  had  another  blow  to-day. 
I  asked  Miss  Townshead  to  marry  me — and  she  would 
not." 

Alice  Deringham  said  nothing  for  a  space,  and  then  her 
voice  was  different.  There  was  no  shade  of  expression  in 
it.  "  And  you  are  going  back  to  look  for  the  silver  to- 
morrow ?  I  hope  you  will  be  successful." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Alton.  "  It  would  mean  a  good  deal 
to  everybody — and  now  I  think  I  have  already  stayed  too 
long." 

Alice  Deringham  heard  the  creaking  of  a  chair,  and  when 
she  looked  round  he  had  gone,  but  she  said  very  little  to 
any  one  when  the  curtain  came  down  again,  while  Alton, 
turning  in  a  doorway  for  a  moment,  set  his  lips  as  he 
caught  the  gleam  of  her  hair. 

"  I  think  I  have  done  the  right  thing  all  round,  but  it 
was  condemnably  hard,"  he  said  as  he  went  down  the 
corridor. 

By  chance  he  came  face  to  face  with  Forel  a  few  moments 
later,  and  both  men  stopped.  "  I  am  glad  I  found  you,"  said 
Alton.  "  It  is  only  fitting  to  tell  you  that  for  a  minute  or 
two  I  joined  your  party." 

Forel  looked  uncomfortable.  "  To  be  frank,  there  are 
unpleasant  tales  about  you,  and  while  they  needn't  interfere 
with  business  one  has  to "  he  said,  and  stopped. 

Alton  nodded.  "  You  needn't  be  too  explicit.  The  tales, 
so  far  as  you  have  heard  them,  are  not  true.  I  tell  you  so 
on  my  word  of  honour — and  I  want  you  to  show  that  you 
believe  me  by  finding  Miss  Townshead  something  to  do. 
You  can  draw  on  me  for  the  salary  if  it's  necessary." 

Forel,  who  was  a  good-tempered  man,  flushed  a  little. 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  If  there  was  anything  in  the  stories  I  should  take  this 
very  ill." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alton.  "  I  shouldn't  have  objected  if 
you  had  knocked  me  down,  but,  as  I  see  you  are  not  quite 
sure  yet,  for  just  five  minutes  you  have  got  to  listen  to  me." 

Forel  did  so,  and  nodded  when  Alton  concluded,  "  I 
think  you  should  do  what  I  want  you  to,  because  in  the 
first  place  it  will  give  you  very  little  trouble,  and  if  you 
can't  take  my  word  so  far,  I'm  not  fit  to  be  trusted  with 
your  interests  in  the  big  deal  we  have  in  hand." 

"  And  in  the  second  ?  "  said  Forel,  who  stood  to  benefit 
considerably  by  the  success  of  the  Somasco  Consolidated, 
dryly. 

Alton  laughed.  "  I  think  it  would  be  more  tasteful  to 
leave  that  unexpressed,  because  it's  connected  with  the  other 
one,"  he  said. 

"Well,"  said  Forel,  "frankly,  I  should  have  doubted 
what  you  have  told  me  had  it  come  from  most  other  men, 
but  in  this  case  I  will  see  what  I  can  do.  We  are,  as  it 
happens,  in  want  of  somebody  at  Westminster,  and  I'll 
send  them  down  a  line  to-morrow." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Alton,  with  a  little  sigh  of  relief.  "  Now 
I  think  I've  straightened  up  everything,  and  I  can  go  back 
to  the  ranges  contented." 


290 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

THE  PRICE  OF  DELAY 

IT  was  raining  with  pitiless  persistency  when  Alton  and 
Tom  of  Okanagan  came  floundering  down  into  the  river 
valley.  The  roar  of  the  canon  rose  in  great  reverberations 
from  out  of  the  haze  beneath  them,  and  all  the  pines  were 
dripping,  while  the  men  struggled  wearily  knee-deep  in 
slush  of  snow.  The  spring  which  lingers  in  the  North  had 
come  suddenly,  and  a  warm  wind  from  the  Pacific  was 
melting  the  snow,  so  that  the  hillsides  ran  water,  and  the 
torrents  that  had  burst  their  chains  swirled  frothing  down 
every  hollow. 

The  men  were  chilled  to  the  backbone,  for  it  had  rained 
all  day  and  they  had  passed  several  nights  sheltered  only 
by  the  pines.  Garments  and  boots  were  sodden,  and  Alton's 
face  was  set  and  drawn,  for  though  he  could  now  walk 
without  much  visible  effort  upon  the  level,  a  journey  through 
the  ranges  of  that  country  would  at  any  season  test  the 
endurance  of  the  strongest  whole-limbed  man,  and  his  forced 
march  had  only  been  accomplished  by  stubborn  determina- 
tion and  disregard  of  pain.  Still,  it  was  not  physical  dis- 
tress alone  which  accounted  for  his  gravity.  He  had  put 
off  his  journey  to  the  latest  moment,  and  now  when  time 
was  scanty  the  weather  promised  to  further  delay  him. 
They  had  stopped  a  moment  breathless,  when  Okanagan 
broke  the  silence. 

"  Plenty  water.  I'm  figuring  we'll  find  Charley  Seaforth 
somewhere  here,"  he  said.  "  The  jumpers  would  have  it 
drier,  if  they  headed  out  from  lower  down  the  railroad  over 
the  bench  country." 

Alton  nodded  as  he  listened  to  the  roar  of  the  river, 
which  warned  him  that  their  road  up  the  valley  would  be 
almost  impassable. 

"  It  can't  be  helped,"  he  said,  and  Tom  of  Okanagan,  who 

291 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

saw  how  grim  his  face  had  grown,  understood  the  reason. 
If  Hallam's  emissaries  had  gone  up  before  them  any  further 
delay  might  cost  Alton  the  mine. 

Nothing  was  said  for  another  minute,  and  then  Okanagan 
pointed  to  a  dim  smear  of  vapour  below  them  that  was  a  little 
bluer  than  the  mist. 

"  Smoke.     Charley's  held  up  by  the  river,"  he  said. 

They  went  on  in  moody  silence,  knowing  that  where  the 
hardy  ranchers  Seaforth  had  with  him  had  failed  there  was 
little  probability  of  any  man  forcing  a  passage,  and  presently 
the  smell  of  burning  firwood  came  up  to  them  through 
the  rain.  Then  a  red  flicker  appeared  and  vanished  amidst 
the  dusky  trunks,  and  in  another  few  minutes  Alton  was 
shaking  his  comrade's  hand.  The  faces  of  both  of  them 
were  unusually  grave,  and  there  was  dejection  in  the  growl 
of  greeting  from  the  men,  who  sat  half  seen  amidst  the 
smoke  watching  them. 

"  That's  the  whole  of  us,"  said  Seaforth,  who  noticed  his 
comrade's  glance.  "  We  can't  get  on." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  here  ? "  said  Alton,  with 
significant  quietness. 

"  Two  days.  It's  unfortunate  you  didn't  come  earlier, 
Harry,  because  we  could  have  got  right  through  a  week 
ago.  Was  it  the  leg  that  kept  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  with  a  little  mirthless  laugh,  "  it 
wasn't  the  leg.  I  should  have  come,  but  one  can't  always 
do  two  things  at  once,  and  I  had  to  choose.  I've  a  good 
deal  to  tell  you." 

Seaforth  glanced  sharply  at  his  comrade.  "  I  fancied 
you  had.  You  are  not  the  man  I  left  at  Vancouver,  Harry. 
Well,  you  will  be  hungry,  and  supper's  almost  ready." 

It  was  several  hours  later,  and  the  men  in  the  bigger  tent 
were  fast  asleep,  when  Seaforth  and  Alton  sat  swathed  in 
clammy  blankets  under  a  little  canvas  shelter.  The  drip 
from  the  great  branches  above  beat  upon  it,  and-  the  red 
light  of  the  snapping  fire  shone  in  upon  the  men.  Neither 
of  them  had  spoken  for  some  time,  but  at  last  Alton  laid 
down  his  pipe. 

"  This  is  a  thing  I  wouldn't  tell  to  any  man  if  it  could 
be  helped,  but  as  you  will  hear  it  told  the  wrong  way  when 

292 


you  get  b'ack  to  the  city,  you  have  got  to  know,"  he  said. 
"  I'd  have  been  where  I  was  wanted  if  it  hadn't  happened, 
and  now  I  can't  help  feeling  I  have  given  you  and  the  rest 
away.  It  hurts  me,  Charley,  but  what  could  I  do?  It 
would  have  been  worse  to  let  two  women  suffer  for  my 
condemned  folly." 

Seaforth  was  in  no  mood  for  laughter,  but  his  eyes 
twinkled  faintly.  "  Two  of  them  ?  You  have  been  getting 
on  tolerably  fast  down  there,  Harry." 

Alton  stopped  him  with  a  gesture.  "  M-y  temper's  not 
what  it  was  a  few  weeks  ago,"  he  said.  "  Now,  you  sit 
still  and  listen  to  me." 

He  had  scarcely  commenced  his  story  when  the  smile 
died  out  of  Seaforth's  eyes.  He  seemed  to  listen  with 
breathless  intentness,  and  his  voice  shook  a  little  as  he  said, 
"And  you  asked  her  to  marry  you.  Did  you  think  for  a 
moment  that  she  would  ?  " 

Alton  appeared  to  consider.  "  I  didn't  think  at  all,"  he 
said.  "  It  seemed  the  one  thing  I  could  do,  and  I  did  it." 

"  The  city  hasn't  made  much  difference  in  you,"  said 
Seaforth,  watching  his  comrade  intently.  "  It  must  have 
been  a  load  off  your  mind  when  she  refused  you  ?  " 

Alton  straightened  himself  a  little.  "  I  don't  like  the 
way  you  put  it,  Charley.  Whoever  gets  Miss  Townshead 
will  have  a  treasure.  The  girl's  good  all  through.  Now  I 
think  I've  told  you  everything,  and  I  don't  ask  if  you 
believe  me." 

There  was  a  flicker  of  warmer  colour  under  Seaforth's 
bronze,  and  a  curious  glint  in  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  slowly ;  "  I  think  she  is  too  good  even 
for  you,  and  you  have  done  all  that  any  one  could  have 
expected  of  you,  without  keeping  up  the  farce  any  longer. 
I  am  glad  you  did  not  ask  if  I  believed  you — because  I 
could  scarcely  have  forgiven  you  that  question.  Do  you 
think  I  don't  know — both  of  you — better  ?  " 

The  last  words  were  a  trifle  strained,  and  Alton  stared 
at  his  comrade  in  bewildered  astonishment,  for  Seaforth 
had  betrayed  himself  in  his  passion.  Then  there  was 
silence  for  a  full  minute  until  he  said  very  quietly — 

"  And  I  never  guessed." 

293 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

"  No  ?  "  said  Seaforth,  still  a  trifle  hoarsely.  "  And  now 
I  think  you  know." 

Alton  nodded,  and  there  was  a  very  kindly  smile  in  his 
eyes.  "Yes;  I'm  beginning  to  understand — a  good  deal," 
he  said.  "  I'm  very  glad,  for  there  are  not  many  girls  like 
Miss  Townshead  in  the  Dominion.  Charley,  you're  a  lucky 
man,  but  why  have  you  been  so  long  over  it?  It  never 
struck  me  that  you  were  bashful." 

Seaforth  smiled  mirthlessly.  "  If  you  will  listen  a  few 
minutes  you  will  see  how  fortunate  I  am.  You  never 
asked  me  what  brought  me  out  from  the  old  country, 
Harry." 

Alton  gravely  pressed  his  arm.  "  There  are  times  when 
one  must  talk.  Go  on,  if  it  will  do  you  good,"  he  said. 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  story  Seaforth  told  that  night, 
and  Alton,  who  had  heard  it,  slightly  varied,  several  times 
already,  could  fill  up  the  gaps  when  his  comrade  ceased, 
and  the  drip  from  the  branches  splashing  upon  the  canvas 
replaced  his  disjointed  utterance.  Seaforth  was  very  young 
when  it  happened  and  the  woman  older  than  him. 

"  Now  you  see  what  kept  me  silent.  It  wasn't  a  nice 
thing  to  tell — you,"  he  said. 

Alton  glanced  at  him  with  grave  sympathy,  and  then 
stared  at  the  fire.  "  And  what  became  of  her  ?  I  saw 
her  picture  once — in  a  twenty-five  cent  album,"  he  said. 
"  A  woman  of  that  kind  would  know  what  she  was  about  ?  " 

Seaforth  smiled  wryly.  "  I  was  not  the  only  fool,"  he 
said.  "  When  I'd  flung  away  everything  a  richer  man  came 
along." 

Alton  was  silent  a  space.  "Three  thousand  pounds," 
he  said,  "  is  a  good  deal,  even  in  the  old  country." 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth  wearily ;  "  though  it  goes  a  very 
little  way  as  I  spent  it,  it  is,  and  I've  been  paying  it  back, 
at  first  a  few  dollars  at  a  time,  ever  since  I  came%out  to  the 
Dominion.  You  see,  the  old  man  paid  off  everything, 
though  I  know  now  money  was  very  scarce  with  him  then, 
and  I've  wondered  sometimes  how  far  it  helped  to  break 
him.  He  died  soon  after  the  crash  came — and  the  girls 
had  nothing." 

"  I  think  you  told  me  your  sisters  were  married  now  ?. " 

294 


THE   PRICE   OF   DELAY 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth.  "  Flora  sent  me  back  the  last 
exchange  somewhat  indignantly,  which  was  why  I  was 
able  to  take  my  share  in  the  Consolidated.  Still,  all  that 
is  a  little  outside  the  question,  isn't  it  ?  " 

Alton  smiled  at  his  partner,  and  laid  a  sinewy  hand  on 
his  shoulder.  "  I  wouldn't  worry  too  much  about  it, 
Charley,"  he  said.  "  You  were  a  young  fool,  but  you  have 
lived  it  down,  and  there's  the  room  there  has  always  been 
for  a  good  many  more  like  you  in  the  Dominion.  Look 
round  in  high  places,  and  you'll  see  them — good  men,  and 
better  than  they  might  have  been  but  for  that  little  trip-up 
when  they  were  young.  Yes,  I've  wondered  where  your 
dollars  went  to— and  I'm  glad  we  have  done  so  well  now 
I  know.  You  can  stand  straight  up,  Charley,  and  face 
the  world  again." 

Seaforth  laughed  wryly.  "  The  trouble  is  that  it  isn't 
the  world  I  care  about,"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  Well,  for  one  has  to  do  the  square 
thing,  I  think  I'd  chance  telling  somebody  the  story  you 
told  me — though  of  course  you'd  have  to  put  parts  of  it 
differently." 

Seaforth  made  a  little  gesture  of  despondency.  "  I'm 
afraid  I  haven't  the  courage,  and — with  all  that  behind 
me " 

"  It — is — behind,"  said  Alton.  "  And  somehow  I  fancy 
it  would  only  be  fair  to  give  the  person  it  might  concern 
the  opportunity  of  hearing  you." 

Seaforth  appeared  to  check  a  groan.  "  There  are 
things  that  one  can  never  quite  rub  out.  I  was  twenty- 
three  then,  and  now  when  it  is  five  years  ago,  and  she  is 
alone  in  that  horrible  city,  I  must  keep  silent  still.  Harry, 
it's  almost  unendurable,  but,  because  I  must  tell  that  story, 
to  speak  now  would  be  to  throw  my  last  chance  away." 

Alton  nodded  with  grave  sympathy.  "  Yes,  I  think 
you're  right,  and  you  must  wait.  Well,  it's  time  to  turn 
in.  With  the  first  of  the  daylight  we're  going  on  again." 

He  was  asleep  in  another  ten  minutes,  but  Seaforth  lay 
awake  shivering  under  his  clammy  blankets  most  of  the 
night,  and  rose  aching  when  he  heard  his  comrade's  voice 
through  the  patter  of  the  rain  in  the  misty  darkness  of  the 

295 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

early  morning.  They  made  four  miles  that  day,  and 
floundered  waist-deep  in  water  amidst  the  boulders  during 
most  of  it.  The  hillsides  above  them  were  steep  and  almost 
unclimbable,  and  no  man  could  have  driven  a  canoe  up- 
stream amidst  the  grinding  ice-cake  which  cumbered  the 
river,  that  was  frozen  still  in  its  slower  reaches.  There 
they  found  better  travelling  through  the  slush  that  covered 
the  rotten  ice,  but  those  reaches  were  few  and  short,  and 
they  went  back  to  the  boulders  when  the  swollen  river 
burst  its  bonds  again. 

It  came  down  in  savage  tumult  between  the  rocks,  whose 
heads  just  showed  above  the  foam,  and  its  banks  were 
further  cumbered  by  a  whitened  driftwood  frieze  over 
which  the  men  must  clamber  warily,  clawing  for  a  foothold 
on  the  great  battered  trunks,  or  smashing  through  a  tangle 
of  brittle  limbs.  At  times  they  were  stopped  altogether  by 
a  maze  of  washed-up  timber  no  man  could  struggle  through, 
and  the  axes  were  plied  for  an  hour  or  more  before  they 
went  on  again. 

The  second  day  was  like  the  first  one,  though  their  toil 
was  if  anything  more  arduous  still,  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  fourth  they  came,  worn  out,  dripping,  and  dejected, 
to  a  spot  where  the  valley  narrowed  in.  A  strip  of  forest 
divided  the  rock  from  the  river  on  the  opposite  shore,  but 
between  them  and  it  a  confusion  of  froth  and  foam  swirled 
down,  while  the  hillsides  seemed  to  vibrate  with  the  roar 
of  the  rapid.  One  glance  sufficed  to  show  that  the  crossing 
was  wholly  impossible  for  either  beast  or  man.  On  their 
side  of  the  river  a  wall  of  rock  hemmed  the  little  party  in, 
and  even  Seaforth  wondered,  while  Okanagan  growled 
half-aloud,  when  Alton,  knee-deep  in  water,  plodded  steadily 
on.  There  was  not  more  than  another  hour's  daylight, 
and  Seaforth  remembered  that  the  gorge  extended  for  a 
league  or  so,  while  the  flood  had  spread  across ,  it  in  front 
of  them,  but  he  knew  his  comrade  and  said  nothing. 
Presently  he  slipped  from  a  boulder,  and  sank  almost 
shoulder-deep  in  a  whirling  pool,  but  somebody  grabbed 
his  arm,  and  after  a  breathless  flounder  he  felt  the  shingle 
under  him  and  the  froth  lapped  only  to  his  knee.  Then 
they  crawled  amidst  the  driftwood  which  washed  up  and 

296 


THE   PRICE   OF  DELAY 

down  beneath  them,  tearing  garments  and  lacerating  limbs, 
until  they  stood  once  more  panting  on  dry  shingle,  with 
a  broad  stretch  of  froth  before  them,  and  the  light  growing 
dim.  x  v. 

The  river  had  spread  from  side  to  side  of  the  constricted 
valley,  and  the  crash  of  the  ice  it  brought  down  rang 
hollowly  from  rock  to  rock  until  it  was  lost  high  up  amidst 
the  climbing  pines.  It  seemed  to  Seaforth  that  to  go  on  was 
impossible,  and  he  glanced  at  his  comrade  anxiously.  Al- 
ton stood  alone  upon  a  driftwood  trunk,  his  figure  sil- 
houetted in  rigid  outline  against  the  whiteness  of  the  foam, 
for  his  drenched  garments  clung  in  sodden  folds  to  every 
curve  of  it.  His  face  was  as  immobile  in  its  wet  grimness 
save  for  the  smouldering  glow  in  his  eyes,  and  there  was  a 
low  growl  of  half-articulate  expostulation  from  those  about 
him  as  he  turned  and  pointed  to  the  river. 

"  What  are  you  stopping  for  ?  The  silver's  yonder,  and 
there's  our  road,"  he  said. 

None  of  them  protested.  They  knew  no  rancher  or 
prospector  in  the  province  could  traverse  the  road  he  pointed 
to,  but  in  their  long  grapple  with  the  forest  they  had  not 
infrequently  attempted  things  that  appeared  beyond  the 
power  of  man,  and  speech  seemed  useless  when  the  river 
would  answer  for  them.  Therefore,  when  Alton  once  more 
took  to  the  water  they  followed  him,  bracing  overtaxed 
muscle  against  the  tireless  stream  until  the  man  who  pressed 
on  a  dozen  yards  in  front  went  down.  Then  while  Seaforth 
held  his  breath  there  was  a  cry  from  Okanagan,  who 
clutched  at  an  arm  that  rose  from  the  flood.  Seaforth  had 
his  hand  next  moment,  somebody  clung  to  him,  and  they 
went  downstream  together  for  a  space,  with  the  shingle  slip- 
ping beneath  them,  and  their  burdens  dragging  them  down, 
panting,  floundering,  choking,  but  still  holding  on,  until  they 
found  a  foothold  in  the  slack  of  an  eddy,  and  Seaforth  saw 
that  Alton  was  on  his  feet  again.  His  hat  had  gone,  and 
there  was  a  red  gash  on  his  forehead  from  which  the  blood 
ran  down.  He  said  nothing  until  they  stood  less  than  knee- 
deep,  when  Seaforth  glanced  at  him. 

"  You  will  be  contented  now  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"   said  Alton,   with  hoarse   breathlessness.    "  I'm 

297 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

beaten.  Well,  we'll  go  back  and  make  a  traverse  across 
the  ranges." 

Seaforth  glanced  for  a  moment  at  the  slope  of  rock  that 
ran  up  into  the  dimness  above  him.  Here  and  there  it 
afforded  foothold  to  a  juniper  or  stunted  pine,  but  that  was 
all,  and  there  was  a  gleam  of  slushy  snow  high  up  above  it, 
where  though  the  pitch  was  flatter  the  firs  could  scarcely 
climb.  Whether  any  man  could  reach  those  heights  or 
cross  them  through  the  melting  drifts  he  did  not  know,  but 
at  the  best  the  journey  would  cost  a  day  for  every  hour 
it  would  have  done  had  it  been  possible  to  follow  the  valley. 

"  You  know  what  day  it  is  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  very  quietly.  "  If  Hallam's  men  are 
up  there  it  will  be  too  late  when  we  get  through.  That 
means  tolerably  bad  times  for  Somasco." 

"  I,"  said  Seaforth,  "  wasn't  exactly  thinking  about 
Somasco." 

Alton's  face  was  very  grim.  "Well,"  he  said  dryly, 
"  it  means  a  good  deal  less  to  one  of  us  than  it  would  have 
done  a  few  weeks  ago." 

They  went  back,  and  it  was  dark  when  they  camped  in 
the  dripping  undergrowth,  but  while  Seaforth  fancied  that 
Alton  did  not  sleep  that  night,  he  was  the  first  upon  his 
feet  when  they  rose  in  the  darkness  of  the  morning,  and 
commenced  the  slow  ascent.  There  was  no  man  in  the 
party  who  did  not  feel  that  the  journey  would  be  useless, 
but  they  went  on  nevertheless,  hewing  a  path  through 
thickets,  crawling  up  steep  rock  faces  on  hands  and  knees, 
and  wading  through  the  drifts  to  the  waist  in  melting  snow. 
So  with  toil  incredible  they  left  the  leagues  behind,  one, 
and  when  they  were  fortunate,  two  to  the  day,  and  evening 
was  at  hand  when  at  last  they  came  scrambling  down  from 
fir  to  fir  into  the  rain-swept  valley.  There  was  nothing 
visible  beneath  them  but  a  haze  of  falling  water  and  the 
tops  of  dripping  trees,  but  Alton  stooped  now  and  then  as 
though  listening,  and  Seaforth  could  guess  at  the  torments 
of  suspense  he  was  enduring. 

"  We  shall  know  in  a  few  more  minutes,"  he  said.  "  I 
can  see  the  river  now." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Alton  hoarsely.    "  Oh,  get  on." 

298 


THE   PRICE   OF  DELAY 

Five  minutes  had  scarcely  passed  when  they  stopped 
again,  and  the  men  stared  at  each  other  in  silence  as  a 
thudding  sound  came  up  to  them  through  the  sain.  It  was 
just  distinguishable,  and  they  might  be  mistaken,  but  a  full 
minute  went  by  before  one  of  them  glanced  at  Alton.  \  He 
stood  very  still,  with  one  knee  bent  a  trifle,  leaning  against 
a  pine  until  the  sound  grew  plainer  and  was  followed  by 
a  voice. 

"  We're  too  late,  but  we'll  go  down  and  see  it  out,"  he 
said. 

Ten  minutes  later  they  plodded  into  the  glare  of  a  fire, 
and  stopped,  worn-out  and  dripping  in  front  of  a  rude  bark 
shelter.  A  few  men  were  scattered  about  it  eating  their 
evening  meal,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  they  stared  at  the 
newcomers  silently,  until  Alton  stepped  forward  and  stood 
where  all  could  see  him,  hatless  and  tattered,  with  a  clotted 
bandage  about  his  head. 

"  What  are  you  doing  on  my  claim  ?  "  he  said. 

A  big  man  rose  up  slowly  with  an  axe  in  his  hand,  and 
pointed  to  a  board  with  rough  letters  cut  in  it  nailed  to  a 
tree. 

"It  may  have  been  yours  one  time.  It's  ours  now,"  he 
said.  "  There's  no  getting  over  the  laws  of  this  country." 

Seaforth  expected  an  outbreak,  and  heard  a  growl  from 
his  comrades,  who  commenced  to  close  in  behind  him,  but 
Alton  only  closed  one  hand  a  little. 

"Where's  the  man  who  brought  you  here?"  he  said. 

"  Gone  out,"  said  the  other,  "  to  record  the  claim.  Now 
we  don't  want  any  unpleasantness,  but  the  mine  is  ours, 
and  there  are  enough  of  us  to  keep  it,  you  see.  Come  in 
and  have  some  supper,  and  take  it  reasonably." 

Alton  looked  at  him  for  a  space  out  of  half-closed  eyes, 
and  the  man  appeared  to  grow  uneasy. 

"You  condemned  jumper!  These  are  honest  men,"  he 
said,  pointing  to  those  who  followed  him.  "  We'll  go  back 
and  camp  up  yonder,  boys." 

It  was  close  on  midnight  when  Seaforth  crept  up  to 
Alton,  who  lay  huddled  against  a  cedar  in  the  smoke  of 
the  fire.  His  face  showed  drawn  and  puckered  in  the 
flickering  light. 

299 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  Don't  take  it  too  hard,  Harry,"  he  said. 

Alton  smothered  a  groan.  "  I'm  feeling  very  mean  to- 
night," he  said.  "  Lord,  what  a  mess  I've  made  of  every- 
thing. Every  ranch  in  Somasco  mortgaged  to  the  last  rod, 
the  new  mill  not  finished,  roads  half  made,  and  not  another 
dollar  to  be  had  in  the  city.  And  there's  not  a  man  or 
woman  who  believed  in  me  but  I've  dragged  them  down." 

"  I  think,"  said  Seaforth,  "  they  believe  in  you  still.  You 
did  all  that  any  man  could  have  done,  Harry." 

"  No,"  said  Alton.  "  I  stayed  down  in  Vancouver  when 
I  should  have  been  here.  That  can  never  be  quite  wiped 
out — but  what  could  I  do  ?  " 

Seaforth  laid  his  hand  on  his  comrade's  shoulder.  "  Don't 
worry  too  much  about  what  is  done  with,  but  look  forward. 
You'll  find  your  friends  behind  you  yet." 

Alton  shook  off  his  grasp.  "  My  friends !  I've  done 
them  harm  enough,  but  you  are  right.  This  thing  isn't 
finished  yet." 

Seaforth  smiled  a  little.  "That  is  a  good  deal  better, 
Harry.  One  wins  at  the  last  round  now  and  then." 

Alton  looked  at  him  steadily.  "  You  don't  understand. 
All  that  was  worth  winning  has  gone  already — but  Hallam 
must  fight." 

Seaforth  saw  the  smouldering  fire  in  the  half-closed  eyes, 
and  the  instinctive  closing  of  the  lean,  hard  fingers,  and 
went  back  to  his  lair  in  the  wet  undergrowth  contented. 
Hallam  had  won  hitherto,  but  he  knew;  his  comrade,  and 
the  struggle  was  not  over  yet. 


300 


CHAPTER   XXX 
SEAFORTH'S  REINSTATEMENT 

THERE  is  on  the  road  between  Vancouver  and  New 
Westminster  a  strip  of  primeval  bush.  Beyond  it  the 
Fraser  meadows  stretch,  open  to  wind  and  sun,  westwards 
to  the  sea,  but  beneath  the  great  black  pines  it  is  dim  and 
shadowy,  and  Seaforth  was  glad  of  that  as  he  stood  leaning 
against  a  hemlock  one  sunny  afternoon.  He  would  have 
found  the  task  he  had  undertaken  almost  impossible  in  the 
glare  of  the  white  road  that  ran  straight  under  the  open 
sky,  but  the  stillness  of  that  green  realm  of  shadow  where 
all  things  were  softened  in  the  faint  half-light  had  made  it 
a  trifle  easier.  Also,  the  essence  of  the  spring,  which  had 
come  suddenly,  was  in  the  scent  of  pine  and  cedar,  and  it 
had  given  him  courage,  and  set  his  pulses  throbbing  faster. 
It  is  possible  that  the  man  did  not  realize  all  the  influences 
that  upheld  him  then,  but  something  that  sprang  from  the 
steaming  earth  and  the  life  that  was  stirring  in  every 
towering  pine  reacted  upon  him,  and  he  gathered  hope 
when  he  saw  the  reflex  of  it  in  the  eyes  of  his  companion. 

She  sat  a  pace  or  two  apart  from  him  on  a  cedar-trunk, 
and  a  dusty  bicycle  rested  against  the  farther  end  of  it. 
The  dust  was  also  thick  upon  her  simple  dress  and  the 
cotton  gloves  that  lay  in  her  hands.  Her  fingers  had 
tightened  upon  them,  and  there  was  a  flush  in  her  cheeks 
when  for  a  moment  she  glanced  at  the  man.  His  face  was 
a  trifle  colourless,  but  the  girl  looked  aside  again  as  she 
saw  the  tense  anxiety  in  his  eyes. 

"  And  that  is  all,"  he  said,  with  a  little  tremble  in  his 
voice.  "  You  will  think  it  is  horribly  too  much  ?  " 

Nellie  Townshead  glanced  away  into  the  shadows  of  the 
bush,  and  there  was  pain  and  a  trace  of  shrinking  in  her 
face,  but  it  had  vanished  when  she  turned  again,  and  her 
voice  had  a  little  imperious  ring. 

301 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"  And  what  made  you  tell  me  now  ?  " 

Seaforth  spread  his  hands  out  with  a  little  deprecatory 
gesture.  "  I  expected  this.  The  story  I  have  told  you 
should  have  shown  you  what  I  am — and  while  I  wanted  to 
tell  it  earlier  I  was  afraid." 

The  colour  was  a  trifle  plainer  in  the  cheeks  of  the  girl, 
and  her  voice  slightly  more  imperious  still. 

"  That  leaves  the  question  unanswered.  I  still  want  to 
know  what  gave  you  the  courage  now  ?  " 

Seaforth  understood  her,  and  knew  her  pride.  "  I  think 
Harry  gave  me  some  of  it.  You  see,  I  never  had  a  great 
deal." 

"  Harry  ? "  said  Miss  Townshead,  with  a  trace  of  as- 
tonishment that  was  not  quite  free  from  disdain. 

Seaforth  moved  his  head.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  What  I 
have  told  you  I  told  him,  and  he  seemed  to  think  that  one 
could  live — even  that  kind  of  thing — down.  He  is,  you 
see,  a  somewhat  exacting  man,  and  that  gave  me  the  hope 
that  you  would  be  as  merciful." 

"  Still,  you   have  not   answered  me." 

Seaforth  flushed  a  little.  "  I  know  what  you  mean — but 
would  even  what  I  have  told  you  warrant  you  thinking  that 
of  me?" 

"  I  must  know,"  said  the  girl. 

Seaforth  was  silent  a  moment.  "There  is  a  distinction 
— but  it  is  difficult  to  draw,"  he  said.  "  Well,  I  could  not 
bear  to  think  of  you  struggling  on  down  here  alone  with 
everything  against  you.  There  were  times  when  it  almost 
maddened  me,  and  at  last,  though  I  knew  it  might  cost  me 
all  I  hoped  for,  I  had  to  speak." 

The  girl's  face  softened.  "  And  there  was  nothing  else. 
You  did  not  think  that — because  of  anything  which  had 
happened — I  should  be  more  apt  to  listen  ?  " 

Seaforth  was  usually  undemonstrative  in  bearing  and 
speech,  but  he  stood  up  stiffly,  and  his  voice  was  a  trifle 
strained.  "  That  is  what  I  have  been  trying  to  make  clear, 
and  I  can  only  give  you  my  word  that  I  did  not,"  he  said. 
"  If  I  had  had  more  courage  I  would  have  told  you  that 
story  long  ago." 

Nellie  Townshead's  eyes  were  very  gentle  now.  "  I  felt 

302 


SEAFORTH'S   REINSTATEMENT 

I  must  make  quite  sure,  because  had  it  been  otherwise  I 
should  never  have  forgiven  you." 

"  And,"  said  Seaforth  slowly,  "  you  can  forgive  the  rest. 
I  can  make  no  protestations,  but  if  I  have  gone  straight  in 
this  country  it  was  you  who  helped  me,  and  I  should  never 
have  gone  down  into  the  mire  if  I  had  known  you  in  the 
other  one.  And  now  I  have  nothing,  not  even  moderate 
prosperity  to  offer  you." 

"  You  think  that  would  have  counted?  "  said  the  girl. 

"  No,"  said  Seaforth  quietly,  "  not  with  you.  It  is  be- 
cause I  have  so  little  to  offer  I  venture  to  ask  so  much.  All 
the  giving  must  be  done  by  you." 

Seaforth  had,  though  not  an  eloquent  man,  pleaded  his 
cause  efficaciously,  for  although  his  words  might  have  been 
better  chosen,  the  inference  behind  them  was  plain;  and 
while  parts  of  his  story  had  brought  the  colour  to  the 
cheeks  of  his  companion,  his  blameless  life  in  Canada  was 
a  very  acceptable  offering  since  he  owed  it  to  her.  It  is 
pleasant  to  feel  oneself  a  refining  influence,  but  it  was  not 
gratified  vanity  which  stirred  the  girl.  She  had  a  wide 
charity,  and  was  one  of  those  whose  mission  is  to  give 
without  looking  for  a  return.  She  rose  up  slowly,  and 
stood  before  him  with  eyes  that  had  grown  a  trifle 
hazy. 

"  All  that  counts  the  most  is  yours  still,"  she  said.  "  And 
as  to  the  rest — I  think  it  is  done  with,  Charley.  You  have 
lived  it  down." 

Seaforth  stretched  out  his  hands  and  drew  her  to  him. 
"  God  bless  you,  my  dear,  but  you  are  wrong,"  he  said. 
"  All  I  had  was  yours  two  years  ago." 

It  was  some  little  time  later  when  a  creaking  wagon 
swung  round  a  bend  of  the  road,  and  the  bronzed  rancher 
on  the  driving-seat  laughed  softly  to  himself  as  he  saw 
Miss  Townshead  sitting  demurely  but  with  downcast  face 
on  one  end  of  the  cedar,  and  Seaforth,  who  appeared 
suspiciously  unconcerned,  at  least  six  feet  away.  That 
was  not  just  how  he  had  seen  them  when  with  the  soft 
dust  muffling  the  rattle  of  wheels  he  and  his  team  came 
out  of  the  shadows  which  hung  athwart  the  bend.  The 
wagon  was  old  and  weather-scarred,  the  harness  rudely 

303 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

patched  with  hide,  but  it  is  possible  there  was  room  in  the 
life. of  strenuous  toil  the  bushman  lived  for  the  romance 
that  brightens  everything,  and  he  shouted  a  mirthful  greet- 
ing to  them  as  he  whipped  his  team.  Then  as  the  wagon 
jolted  on  out  under  the  sombre  archway  into  the  brightness 
of  the  sun  there  came  drifting  back  to  them  the  refrain  of 
a  song.  It  was  one  sung  often  in  the  bush  of  that  country 
at  the  time,  and  the  two  who  sat  listening  in  the  green 
stillness  that  sunny  afternoon  grasped  the  verity  that  un- 
derlay its  crude  sentimentality.  Shorn  of  its  harshness 
by  the  distance  the  voice  rang  bravely  through  the  thud 
of  hoofs  and  rattle  of  wheels,  and  there  was  in  the  half- 
heard  words  and  jingling  rhythm  what  there  was  in  the 
sunshine  and  scent  of  steaming  earth,  the  life  and  hope  of 
the  eternal  spring. 

Seaforth  laughed  a  little  as  he  stretched  his  hand  out  to 
the  girl,  but  the  light  which  shone  back  at  him  from  her 
eyes  was  softer  than  that  of  mirth. 

"  I  think  that  man  knows  what  we  know,"  he  said. 
"  Come  out  into  the  sunlight.  The  world  is  not  what  it 
was  an  hour  ago." 

They  were  plodding  down  the  dazzling  road,  one  on 
either  side  of  the  dusty  bicycle  under  the  open  sky  when 
he  spoke  again. 

"  All  this  makes  me  sorry  for  Harry." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl  reflectively,  for  she  saw  there  was 
more  to  follow. 

Seaforth  bent  his  head.  "  He  has  so  little  now.  Hallam 
has  beaten  us  all  round,  and  Harry's  face  takes  my  sleep 
away.  Everything  he  hoped  for  has  been  taken  from  him, 
and  he  is  lame,  you  see." 

Nellie  Townshead  glanced  at  him  swiftly.  "  One  would 
scarcely  notice  it.  You  have  something  in  your  mind, 
Charley." 

Seaforth's  face  was  troubled  as  he  answered  her.  "  It  is 
a  little  difficult  to  put  into  words,  and  if  it  was  anybody 
else  than  Harry  I  would  not  try.  Still,  Alice  Deringham 
is  almost  as  much  to  him  as  you  are  to  me — and  I  don't 
think  she  knows  the  truth,  you  see." 

Nellie  Townshead  flushed  a  little,  and  there  was  a  trace 

3°4 


SEAFORTH'S   REINSTATEMENT 

of  anger  in  her  eyes.  "  If  Miss  Deringham  is  punished  for 
her  wicked  pride  what  is  that  to  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  Seaforth  quietly.  "  Still — because  of 
what  I  saw  at  the  ranch — I  am  sorry  for  her,v  and  Harry, 
who  has  been  a  very  good  friend  to  me,  is  being  punished 
too.  We  have  so  much,  you  and  I,  and  he  has  nothing 
now." 

The  girl  did  not  answer  him  for  at  least  a  minute,  and 
appeared  concerned  about  something  that  rattled  in  the 
bicycle.  Then  she  stopped  and  looked  up  at  the  man  with 
a  great  tenderness  in  her  eyes. 

"  You  want  to  tell  her  ?  Well,  it  will  be  very  difficult, 
but  I  will  do  it  for  you.  " 

Seaforth  stooped  and  kissed  the  little  ungloved  hand  on 
the  bicycle  reverentially.  "  I  don't  know  how  I  asked  you, 
and  knowing  how  much  has  been  given  me  I  am  almost 
afraid,"  he  said. 

Nellie  Townshead  smiled  at  him,  but  she  said  nothing 
further  until  they  parted,  and  Seaforth  turned  back  towards 
Vancouver  city.  He  was  brimming  over  with  good-will  to 
everybody  when  he  reached  it,  and  as  it  happened  found 
storekeeper  Horton,  who  came  down  there  occasionally, 
waiting  for  him.  Horton  was  by  no  means  a  genius  or  well 
versed  in  legal  procedure,  but  he  had  a  ready  wit,  and 
Seaforth  felt  prompted  to  tell  him  the  story  of  their  first 
disastrous  march,  which  Alton  had  hitherto  but  partially 
narrated,  though  he  suppressed  its  final  incident.  Horton 
listened  gravely  with  his  most  magisterial  air. 

"  Harry's  no  fool,  but  he  don't  know  everything,"  he 
said.  "  Now  I  see  where  you  and  me  can  take  a  hand  in." 

"Yes?"  said  Seaforth  thoughtfully. 

Horton  nodded.  "  It  was  Darner  who  recorded  your 
claim." 

"  Darner  ?  "  said  Seaforth.  "  That  was  the  man  Harry 
pitched  into  the  river  at  Somasco.'' 

Horton  chuckled.  "  You're  right,  Harry's  just  a  trifle 
too  handy  at  slinging  folks  into  rivers  and  down  stairways. 
Well,  the  fellow  was  hanging  round  my  store,  and  I  thought 
I  knew  him  and  wasn't  sure,  but  when  I  saw  his  name  down 
on  the  Crown  mining  record  that  fixed  me.  Now  you're 

3°5 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

quite  ready,  you  and  Tom,  to  swear  to  the  story  you  told 
tne?" 

"  Of  course,  but  still  I  don't  see 

Horton's  eyes  twinkled.  "You  will  presently.  That's 
where  being  a  magistrate  comes  in.  I'm  going  to  take 
hold  of  Darner  for  horse-stealing." 

A  thought  came  swiftly  into  Seaforth's  mind,  and  he 
smote  the  table.  "  But  I  can't  swear  it  was  Darner.  You 
would  never  convict  him." 

Horton  laughed  the  bushman's  almost  silent  laugh.  "  I 
don't  know  that  I  want  to.  Anyway,  I  can  keep  on  remand- 
ing him,  and  when  I  sent  him  up  for  trial  it  would  be  a 
rancher's  jury.  That's  going  to  give  us  a  pull  on  Mr. 
Hallam,  who  is  standing  in  somewhere  behind  the  whole 
thing — and  I  kind  of  fancy  there's  another  man  with  him." 

Seaforth's  face  grew  grave.  "  Then,  as  Harry  wouldn't 
like  it  and  there's  nothing  in  it,  I'd  get  rid  of  that  fancy. 
Now,  of  course,  you  know  what  you  can  do,  but  isn't  it 
playing  a  little  too  much  into  your  own  hand?  And  you 
see  folks  might  get  talking  about  the  thing." 

Horton  put  on  his  most  impressive  air.  "  There's  justice 
by  statute,  and  there's  equity,  as  well  as  a  lot  more  you 
never  heard  about,"  said  he. 

Seaforth  could  not  check  his  smile.  "  And  which  of 
them  is  what  we're  going  to  do  ?  " 

"This,"  said  Horton  solemnly,  "is — all  of  them.  It's 
the  square  thing.  Is  there  any  reason  why  a  man  shouldn't 
do  what  is  right  because  it  suits  him?  Anyway,  it  needn't 
worry  you,  because  you  can  just  sit  up  and  watch  the  circus 
begin." 

"  Just  one  question.  Was  Darner  the  man  who  rode  out 
for  the  railroad  one  snowy  night,  shortly  before  I  started 
after  Harry  ?  " 

Horton  nodded,  and  wondered  a  little  at  the  change  in 
his  companion,  for  there  was  a  little  flash  in  Seaforth's 
eyes  and  his  voice  had  a  ring.  "  Then,"  he  said  grimly, 
"  I'm  going  to  take  a  hand  in,  but  there  are  several  good 
reasons  why  we  should  not  tell  Harry." 

It  was  a  week  later  when  Forel  came  home  one  night 
looking  somewhat  anxious  and  depressed.  He  said  little 

306 


SEAFORTH'S   REINSTATEMENT 

during  the  evening  meal,  but  after  it  spoke  to  his  wife 
alone,  and  Mrs.  Forel  came  upon  Alice  Deringham  soon 
after  she  left  him. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  get  the  new  ponies  after  all,"  she  said. 
"  Poor  Tom  has  been  unfortunate  again." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  Alice  Deringham.  "  You  mean  in 
the  city?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Forel  with  a  little  sigh.  "  He  is  always 
a  trifle  sanguine,  and  he  put  a  good  many  dollars  into  a 
venture  Mr.  Alton  recommended:  Tom  expected  a  good 
deal  from  it — but  the  dollars  have  all  gone." 

Alice  Deringham  did  not  look  at  the  speaker.  "  They 
have  lost  the  money  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Forel,  "  I  believe  they  will  do.  I  don't 
understand  all  of  it,  but  Tom  tells  me  that  he  can't  see  any 
hope  for  Alton  unless  a  new  railroad's  built,  or  the  Gov- 
ernment does  something  for  the  Somasco  country,  and 
that  does  not  seem  likely." 

"  Please  tell  me  all  you  know." 

Mrs.  Forel  looked  thoughtful.  "  It  isn't  a  great  deal. 
The  land  and  ranches  up  at  Somasco  are  not  worth  very 
much  just  now,  but  Alton  persuaded  Tom  they  would  be 
presently,  and  he  helped  Alton  to  borrow  more  dollars  from 
everybody  who  would  lend  them.  Then  they  built  mills 
and  things  which  will  not  be  much  use  to  anybody  unless 
a  railroad  comes  in.  The  people  would  only  lend  him  the 
money  for  a  little  while,  and  Alton  had  hoped  to  pay  them 
out  of  a  silver  mine,  but  Hallam,  it  seems,  has  been  working 
against  him  and  got  somebody  to  relocate  the  mine  because 
Alton  did  not  get  there  in  time.  Now  unless  Alton  and 
his  company  can  pay  those  dollars  back  the  other  people 
will  take  all  he  has  away  from  him,  and  if  the  railroad 
is  ever  built  it  is  they  or  Hallam,  who  has  been  trying  to 
buy  the  mortgages  from  them,  who  will  benefit." 

"  But,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  "  how  was  it  that  Mr. 
Alton  did  not  make  sure  of  the  mine?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  puzzles  Tom.  He  stayed  down  here 
too  long,  and  then  there  was  a  flood  or  something  that 
delayed  him.  Still,  if  he  had  gone  when  he  intended  he 
would  have  been  in  time." 

307 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Mrs.  Forel  glanced  at  her  companion  curiously,  but  the 
girl  sat  very  still  with  her  face  turned  aside.  It  was  almost 
a  minute  before  she  spoke  again. 

"And  Mr.  Alton  takes  it  hardly?" 

"Tom  doesn't  seem  to  know.  Alton,  he  thinks,  must 
be  beaten,  but  he  told  him  he  meant  holding  on  until  the 
last  dollar  had  gone.  After  all,  I  can't  help  feeling  sorry 
for  him.  It  must  be  hard  to  get  oneself  crippled  and  then 
lose  everything,  while  Tom  declares  there  was  nothing  in 
that  other  affair  about  the  girl." 

Alice  Deringham  said  nothing,  but  Mrs.  Forel  saw  the 
blood  creep  into  the  polished  whiteness  of  her  neck,  and 
wished  that  she  would  look  up.  The  girl's  rigid  stillness 
was,  she  fancied,  a  trifle  unnatural,  and  suggested  that  there 
was  a  good  deal  behind  it. 

"Well,"  she  said  presently,  "that  is  all  I  know,  and  I 
think  Tom  is  waiting  for  me." 

Mrs.  Forel  went  away,  and  Alice  Deringham  sat  where 
she  had  left  her,  white  in  face  now,  with  something  that 
was  not  wholly  unlike  horror  in  her  eyes. 

"And,"  she  said,  "  I  kept  him." 

Half  an  hour  passed,  and  she  did  not  move.  Anger 
against  her  father  and  horror  of  herself  were  held  in  check 
as  yet  by  a  tense  anxiety  as  to  the  end  of  the  struggle  she 
had  plunged  the  man  who  loved  her  in.  She  could  picture 
him  standing  with  his  grave  quietness  face  to  face  with 
ruin,  and  holding  on  until  the  last  faint  hope  had  gone. 
Still,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  that  he  should  be  beaten, 
and  the  curious  confidence  she  had  had  in  him  reasserted 
itself  and  crept  as  a  ray  of  brightness  into  the  darkness  of 
her  humiliation.  That  might  be  borne  or  grappled  with 
afterwards  if  Alton  came  out  triumphant,  but  in  the  mean- 
while she  dare  not  think  of  herself  or  what  she  had  done. 
Presently  there  was  a  tapping  at  the  door,  and  a  maid 
came  in. 

"  There's  a  lady — Miss  Townshead — waiting  to  see  you, 
miss,"  she  said. 

Now  Alice  Deringham  was  the  reverse  of  a  timid  woman, 
but  for  a  few  moments  she  felt  her  courage  fail.  Every 
instinct  in  her  shrank  from  that  meeting,  but  the  maid  had 

308 


SEAFORTH'S   REINSTATEMENT 

no  cause  to  suspect  it  when  she  rose  languidly  and  followed 
her.  The  interview  was  not  of  long  duration,  and  nobody 
ever  heard  all  that  passed  between  the  two,  but  when  Sea- 
forth,  who  had  been  waiting  anxiously,  handed  MiSS  Towns- 
head  into  the  cars  her  eyes  were  misty. 

"  Was  it  very  hard  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,"  the  girl  said  slowly ;  "  not  after  the  beginning. 
I  was  angry  when  I  went  in,  and  I  came  away  only  sorry 
for  her.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  that  is  lovable  in 
Miss  Deringham  than  I  ever  fancied  there  could  be." 

"  Yes,"  said  Seaforth  sapiently.  "  But  it's  much  better 
when  there's  nothing  else,  which  is  the  case  with  somebody 
I  know.  I  like  my  gold  free  from  alloy." 

It  was  the  next  day  when  Deringham  found  his  daughter 
alone  in  a  sunny  corner  of  the  verandah.  He  carried  a 
handful  of  papers,  and  the  girl  noticed  that  while  he  looked 
ill  and  haggard  there  was  relief  in  his  face.  It  was,  how- 
ever, with  a  vacant  curiosity  she  waited  for  him  to  speak, 
for  she  had  risen  heavy-eyed  and  listless  after  a  sleepless 
night.  Deringham  leaned  against  the  balustrade  in  front 
of  her,  and  appeared  to  find  it  somewhat  difficult  to 
begin. 

"  I  have  just  spent  an  hour  with  Mr.  Alton  and  a  law- 
yer, and  have  something  of  importance  to  tell  you,"  he 
said. 

"  I  am  listening,"  said  the  girl  languidly,  though  Der- 
ingham fancied  there  were  signs  of  a  sudden  intentness  in 
her  face. 

"  We  will  commence  at  the  beginning.  Alton  appears 
to  have  been  doubtful  respecting  his  right  to  Carnaby,  and 
seems  to  have  felt  in  the  first  place  that  it  would  not  be 
fitting  for  him  to  receive  as  a  favour  what  was  his  father's 
by  right.  I  do  not  know  that  many  men  would  have  re- 
garded it  in  that  light." 

"  I  think,"  said  the  girl  with  a  little  quickening  of  her 
pulses,  "  that  Mr.  Alton's  view  was  right !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Deringham,  with  a  little  smile  that  seemed 
to  indicate  that  the  point  was  not  important,  "  that  brings 
us  to  his  other  motive,  which  displays  a  very  creditable 
feeling.  Tristan  Alton,  as  you  know,  only  relented  upon 

3°9 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

his  deathbed,  when,  as  I  pointed  out  to  our  kinsman,  his 
senses  were,  in  the  opinion  even  of  those  who  signed  his 
will,  a  trifle  clouded,  and  Alton  was  reluctant  to  profit  by 
a  half-delirious  fancy  which  deprived  us,  or  to  be  more 
literal,  you,  of  what  was  virtually  your  own.  As  I  told 
him  no  man  in  the  possession  of  all  his  wits  would  have 
made  such  a  will,  and  there  was  a  probability  that  it  could 
be  successfully  contested." 

"  Then  I  think  you  blundered,  father,"  said  the  girl. 

Deringham  raised  his  hand  as  though  to  indicate  that  he 
did  not  purpose  to  discuss  the  question.  "  I  have  been 
trying  to  show  you  that  Alton  never  regarded  Carnaby  as 
his.  You  follow  me  ?  " 

"  No.  I  go  farther,"  said  the  girl  with  a  curious  smile. 
"All  that  you  have  told  me  was  quite  clear  to  me  some 
while  ago." 

"  Now  we  come  to  the  present.  Alton  has  proved  to 
myself  and  the  lawyer  that  he  is  solvent.  That  is  if  he 
sold  everything  he  could  just  pay  his  debts,  but  because  he 
does  not  intend  to  sell,  he  stands  figuratively  speaking  with 
his  back  to  the  wall,  and  appears  to  consider  that  financial 
ruin  may  overtake  him.  That  being  so  he  has  while  he 
has  the  power  made  over  all  his  rights  in  Carnaby  to  you." 

Alice  Deringham  rose  up  with  a  little  gasp,  quivering. 
"  Father,"  she  said  in  a  strained  voice,  "  I  don't  think  I 
can  forgive  you." 

Deringham  smiled  deprecatingly.  "  I  think  that  is  be- 
side the  point,"  he  said.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  Alton  has 
acted  most  becomingly,  and  if  he  survives  his  difficulties 
we  could,  of  course,  come  to  some  amicable  understanding 
with  him  respecting  the  partition  of  the  property." 

The  girl's  face  grew  a  trifle  plainer,  for  one  word  had  an 
ominous  ring. 

"  There  is  more  than  you  have  told  me,"  and  once  more 
it  struck  her  that  Deringham  was  curiously  haggard. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  life  is  always  a  trifle  uncertain,  and 
Alton  has  twice  met  with  disaster  in  the  ranges." 

The  girl  stood  still  looking  at  him  steadily  with  a  vague 
terror  in  her  eyes.  Then  she  said  slowly,  "  And  I  am  the 
mistress  of  all  the  Carnaby  property.  It  is  mine  to  do 

310 


SEAFORTH'S   REINSTATEMENT 

what  I  like  with.  I  could  borrow  money  upon  it,  or  sell 
it?" 

"  Under  conditions,"  said  Deringham  with  a  little  smile 
of  relief,  though  his  face  grew  clouded  again.  "Alton 
has  made  it  yours,  almost  too  absolutely." 

Alice  Deringham  did  not  remember  what  next  passed 
between  them  or  how  she  dismissed  her  father,  but  pres- 
ently she  sat  alone  staring  down  across  the  blue  inlet 
with  eyes  that  saw  nothing.  She  was  numbly  sensible  of 
a  horrible  humiliation,  but  that  troubled  her  the  least. 
Alton  was  standing  with  his  back  to  the  wall  and  in  some 
vague  peril  of  his  life,  and  it  was  she  who  had  helped  to 
betray  him.  She  almost  hated  her  father,  and  she  loathed 
herself,  and  yet  a  ray  of  hope  shone  through  her  fears. 
Carnaby  was  wholly  hers,  and  with  it  she  held  the  power 
to  help  him.  That  something  which  would  test  her  cour- 
age to  the  uttermost  must  be  done  before  he  would  accept 
help  from  her  she  knew,  but  the  pride  which  had  been 
a  curse  to  her  was  in  the  dust,  and  when  the  vague  project 
slowly  grew  into  shape  she  rose  and  sought  Forel. 
She  was  very  composed  in  speech  and  bearing,  but  when 
the  merchant  heard  what  she  asked  him  he  gasped  with 
astonishment. 

"  I  want  it  done  as  soon  as  possible,"  she  said, 


3" 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

"  THE  THIRD  TIME  " 

HORTON  was  essentially  practical,  and  once  he  saw  his 
way  usually  set  about  the  following  of  it  without  any  of 
the  misgivings  which  might  have  proved  a  hindrance  to 
more  intellectual  men.  There  were,  however,  times  when 
Seaforth  wondered  uneasily  whether  he  was  doing  well,  but 
he  decided  that  as  the  outlook  could  not  be  much  more 
unfavourable  any  variation  would  almost  of  necessity  be 
an  improvement,  and  that  one  could  not  afford  to  be  over- 
scrupulous in  a  struggle  with  a  man  of  Hallam's  descrip- 
tion. Accordingly  he  hoped  for  the  best,  and  resigned 
himself  to  Horton,  who  grew  more  assured  of  the  be- 
neficence and  legality  of  his  proceedings  during  the 
journey  to  Somasco,  where  Seaforth  accompanied  him, 
and  as  soon  as  he  arrived  there  sent  round  demanding  the 
attendance  of  all  the  ranchers  in  that  vicinity  at  his  store, 
in  the  name  of  the  law.  He,  however,  contrived  that  the 
summons  should  not  reach  the  few  who,  having  refused  to 
join  the  Somasco  Consolidated,  were  suspected  of  com- 
plicity with  Hallam,  until  it  was  too  late,  and  though 
Seaforth  ventured  a  few  protestations,  appeared  perfectly 
contented  with  himself. 

"I'm  put  right  here  to  scare  off  malefactors  and  en- 
courage honest  men,  and  I'm  doing  it,  the  best  way  I  can," 
he  said. 

The  ranchers  came,  as  did  Captain  Anderson,  the  vener- 
able Scandinavian  constable,  whose  duties  had  hitherto  con- 
sisted in  keeping  his  neighbours'  gardens  free  of  depredat- 
ing hogs  and  improving  his  own  land.  Horton  also  made 
a  speech  to  them,  and  appeared  somewhat  offended  when 
some  of  them  broke  into  the  bushman's  silent  chuckle. 

"  We  have,"  he  said,  "  no  use  for  fooling.  This  is  the 
most  serious  and  solemn  kind  of  thing." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  one  of  the  assembly.  "  That's  just  what 

312 


"THE   THIRD   TIME" 

it's  going-  to  be  if  Darner's  friends  stand  by  him.  Darner 
isn't  going  to  come  along  to  prison  because  Andersen  tells 
him." 

Horton  regarded  the  speaker  with  a  gravity  that  was 
tempered  by  semi-contemptuous  pity.  "  Then,  he  said, 
*'  because  I'm  going  to  swear  you  in  as  special  constables, 
you  and  the  boys  will  make  him." 

There  was  another  lapse  into  half-audible  laughter  and 
one  of  the  men  touched  Seaforth's  shoulder.  "  I'm  won- 
dering what  Harry  would  think  of  this,"  said  he.  "  It 
would  sound  kind  of  curious  in  the  old  country." 

Seaforth  smiled  as  he  made  a  little  gesture  of  resignation. 
"  The  point  is  that  he  doesn't  know.  Anyway,  we  haven't 
done  much  to  be  proud  of  while  we  acted  sensibly,  and  now 
and  then  foolishness  seems  to  pay  as  well  as  wisdom." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other,  grinning,  "  I  wouldn't  call  old 
Horton  a  fool  altogether." 

Horton  interrupted  him  by  calling  up  six  of  the  biggest 
men,  and  very  gravely  swearing  them  in,  after  which  he 
produced  a  paper.  "  This,"  he  said,  "  is  a  warrant  for  the 
apprehension  of  one  Roger  Damer  for  horse-stealing,  and 
all  you  have  to  do  is  to  go  up  and  get  him.  You  will 
meet  here  at  daylight  to-morrow,  every  man  with  a  horse 
and  provisions,  but  while  I'll  do  the  best  I  can  for  you  I'm 
not  quite  sure  the  Government  will  pay  for  them." 

Once  more  there  was  soft  laughter,  but  early  next  morn- 
ing six  silent  men,  whose  bronzed  faces  bore  no  trace  of 
merriment  now,  rode  out  of  the  settlement,  with  rifles  slung 
behind  them,  and  four  more  followed  later  leading  heavily- 
laden  horses  by  the  bridle.  Time  was  not  of  vital  im- 
portance, and  though  all  of  them  were  at  home  in  the 
bush  they  prospected  for  the  easiest  road,  which  led  them 
through  valleys  few  men  of  their  race  had  ever  set  foot  in 
before.  Twice  a  few  of  the  Siwash,  who  come  down  the 
rivers  with  the  spring,  awoke  when  the  moon  was  in  the 
sky,  and  heard  a  trampling  of  horses  high  up  amidst  the 
pines  that  shut  in  a  lonely  valley,  and  once  a  solitary 
prospector,  camping  close  beneath  the  snow,  rose  drowsily 
beside  his  fire,  and  wondered  whether  he  was  dreaming 
as  he  saw  a  line  of  mounted  men  with  rifles  flit  by  and 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

vanish  beyond  a  black  hill  shoulder.  They  rode  in  silence, 
and  save  for  the  muffled  ring  of  iron  and  faint  jingle  of 
steel,  he  could  have  taken  them  for  disembodied  spirits 
in  place  of  living  men. 

Horton,  however,  had  in  him  a  trace  of  the  general,  and 
did  what  his  mind  could  grasp  with  a  grim  thoroughness, 
while,  as  the  result  of  it,  there  was  blank  astonishment  one 
morning  in  a  mining  camp  as  he  and  the  men  who  followed 
him  appeared  as  by  magic  from  amidst  the  pines  surround- 
ing it.  They  were  also  armed,  and  the  miners,  who  rose 
from  their  breakfast,  stared  at  them  motionless  in  silence, 
that  is,  all  save  one,  who  slipped  into  a  tent  and  after- 
wards out  through  the  back  of  it.  Horton,  however,  saw 
him,  and  his  command  was  to  the  point — "  Stop  him." 

There  was  a  rustle  of  branches,  and  Tom  of  Okanagan 
rose  out  of  the  thicket  the  fugitive  had  almost  gained, 
with  a  rifle  in  his  hand.  He  laughed  somewhat  grimly  as 
he  said,  "  Stop  right  where  you  are." 

Then  there  was  for  a  space  a  somewhat  impressive 
tableau,  that  had  in  it  humorous  as  well  as  tragic  possi- 
bilities. Hallam's  men  had  doubtless  been  chosen  because 
of  qualities  which  are  more  tolerated  farther  south  than 
they  are  in  that  country,  but  they  had  nothing  handy  to 
enforce  their  protests  with  beyond  their  camp  utensils,  and 
it  did  not  appear  advisable  to  make  a  move  in  search  of 
more  effective  weapons.  Accordingly  they  stood  silent, 
with  the  smoke  drifting  about  them,  all  save  one  of  them, 
who,  with  impotent  fury  in  his  face,  backed  step  by  step 
into  the  opening  before  their  shanty,  as  Tom  of  Okanagan 
beckoned  him.  Nobody  else  moved  at  all,  for  Horton's 
company  were  commandingly  posted  beneath  the  surround- 
ing pines,  and  there  was  a  grim  twinkle  in  the  eyes  of 
one  who  carried  a  rifle,  and  had  risen  out  of  the  under- 
growth between  the  shovels  and  axes  and  their  legitimate 
owners.  How  long  the  spectacle  would  have  lasted  Sea- 
forth  did  not  know,  but  at  last  the  man,  who  had  backed 
away  before  Okanagan,  tripped  on  a  tent  line  and  went 
down  headlong.  That  broke  the  silence,  and  the  big  man, 
•who  had  on  a  previous  occasion  spoken  with  Alton,  stepped 
forward. 


"THE   THIRD   TIME" 

"  Now  what  the is  all  this  about  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Stand  back,"  said  Horton  solemnly  as  he  drew  out  a 
paper.  "  It's  the  hand  of  the  law.  Here's  a  warrant  for 
Roger  Damer,  and  it's  his  body  we've  come  forv  You  will 
put  the  handcuffs  on  him,  Constable  Andersen,  and  if  he 
tries  to  stop  you  Tom  has  full  authority  to  pound  the  wicked- 
ness out  of  him." 

"  Hold  on,"  said  the  big  man.  "  That's  your  way  of  it. 
Now  has  it  struck  you  that  there  are  things  we  might  do  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Horton  with  undiminished  gravity. 
"  You're  going  to  stop  where  you  are,  like  lawful  citizens, 
because  there  are  enough  of  us  to  make  you  if  you  don't 
want  to." 

The  argument  was  incontrovertible,  and  there  was  only 
a  growl  of  protest  as  the  venerable  Scandinavian  did  his 
duty.  Then  while  two  men  stood  on  guard  over  their 
prisoner  Horton  turned  for  the  last  time  to  the  miners. 

"  I'm  kind  of  sorry  I  don't  know  quite  enough  about  you 
to  take  the  rest  of  you  along,"  he  said.  "  Still,  if  I  can  find 
out  anything  we'll  come  back  for  you  again.  Well,  boys, 
we'll  be  going.  Hitch  that  lariat  on  to  the  prisoner's  wrists, 
and  keep  a  good  hold  on  it,  Constable  Andersen." 

Nothing  more  was  said,  for  Horton's  men  marched  out 
of  camp  as  silently  as  they  had  come,  and  it  was  only  when 
the  pines  had  closed  about  them  that  a  hoarse  laugh  went 
back  in  answer  to  the  volley  of  vituperation  that  rose  out 
of  the  hollow  behind  them.  Damer  spoke  no  word  to  any 
man  all  that  day  or  the  next,  but  when  they  camped  on  the 
second  night  high  up  on  the  hillside  he  signed  to  Seaforth, 
who  passed  the  fire  where  he  lay  a  little  apart  from  the 
rest. 

"  Somebody  is  going  to  be  sorry  for  this,"  he  said.  "  Now 
a  sensible  man  would  wonder  what  you  expect  to  make 
by  it." 

"You  mean  that  we  can't  connect  you  with  the  horse- 
stealing?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man,  "  if  there  was  any.  Now  there 
are  men  behind  me  who  will  make  you  and  Horton  very 
sorry  you  ever  fooled  with  me." 

Seaforth  smiled  outwardly  and  with  his  eyes,  for  he  sur- 

315 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

mised  that  the  prisoner  was  willing  to  bargain  for  his 
freedom,  but  his  lips  were  set  and  he  found  it  difficult  to 
restrain  the  rage  that  welled  up  within  him. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  know  that  it  is  of  any  great 
importance  whether  we  do  or  not.  It  will  be  enough  to 
hold  you  by  until  we  find  out  all  that  happened  one  snowy 
night  when  somebody  fixed  a  lariat  across  a  trail,  and  there 
was  another  affair  up  in  the  bush." 

The  light  of  the  fire  was  on  them,  and  the  man's  face 
betrayed  him,  though  his  words  were  bold  enough.  "  You 
don't  take  me  with  a  hand  like  that ! " 

Seaforth  trembled  a  little  as  his  anger  shook  him,  for  he 
had  seen  enough.  "  I  think  you  are  the  man  we  want," 
he  said. 

He  had  desired  to  make  quite  certain  and  succeeded,  but 
he  afterwards  regretted  it,  for  the  effect  of  that  speech 
upon  the  prisoner,  who  did  not  answer  him,  was  consid- 
erably more  than  he  had  anticipated.  The  man,  who  ap- 
peared, as  Seaforth  decided  later,  suspiciously  cowed  and 
dejected,  said  nothing  to  any  of  his  captors  all  next  day, 
and  lay  down  at  night  in  apathetic  sullenness,  but  when  the 
rancher  who  slept  beside  him  awoke  in  the  morning  he 
had  gone,  and  by  way  of  ironical  farewell  somebody  had 
hung  a  pair  of  rusty  handcuffs  whose  snap-spring  was  evi- 
dently defective  upon  a  neighbouring  tree.  One  man  had 
kept  watch  beside  the  fire,  which  he  had  left  for  a  few 
minutes  to  bring  in  more  wood,  and  another  by  the  horses ; 
but  while  neither  of  them  had  seen  or  heard  anything,  the 
fact  that  their  captive  was  no  longer  with  them  remained, 
and  half-an-hour  spent  in  very  pointed  and  personal  re- 
criminations did  nothing  to  solve  the  mystery.  It  was 
Horton  who  terminated  the  discussion. 

"  We've  no  use  for  more  talking,  boys,"  he  said.  "  The 
man  was  here  last  night,  and  he  isn't  now,  and  it  don't 
count  for  very  much  how  he  got  away.  Head  right  away 
for  the  railroad,  two  of  you.  Another  two  will  strike  for 
the  pass  in  the  main  divide,  and  if  you  get  through  quick 
enough  you'll  turn  him  off  into  the  back  country.  The 
rest  of  you  will  stop  right  here  and  help  Okanagan  to  pick 
up  his  trail." 

316 


'THE   THIRD   TIME" 

There  was  a  hurried  saddling  of  horses,  four  mounted 
men  went  crashing  through  the  undergrowth  downhill  at 
the  risk  of  neck  and  limbs,  and  an  hour  later  Seaforth  and 
Okanagan  stopped  a  few  moments  breathless  beside  a  froth- 
ing stream. 

"  He'll  have  gone  this  way  for  the  river,  sure,"  said  the 
latter.  "  You  can  tell  Horton  to  send  Thomson  and  An- 
dersen across  to  watch  the  canon." 

Seaforth  looked  at  the  bushman,  and  his  face  was  cu- 
riously grim.  "  You  know  who  he  is,  Tom  ?  We  must 
have  him  at  any  cost,  and  I  think  it  is  my  fault  he  got 
away." 

Okanagan  laughed  a  little  almost  silent  laugh  that  had 
no  mirth  in  it.  "  If  the  boys  can  head  him  off  from  the 
railroad  I'll  find  him  sure,"  he  said.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  think  I 
know  him.  When  we  get  him  I'm  figuring  we'll  find  the 
marks  of  Harry's  knife  on  him." 

Okanagan  found  the  trail  again  lower  down  the  valley, 
and  he  and  another  tireless  man  headed  for  the  river  through 
a  country  no  horse  could  traverse  all  that  day,  leaving 
Seaforth  behind  them  worn-out  at  noon.  He  sat  down  to 
wait  for  Horton  considerably  disturbed  in  mind,  and  his 
anxieties  would  not  have  been  diminished  had  he  known  that 
Alton  was  starting  for  Somasco  by  the  Atlantic  express 
that  afternoon. 

It  was  next  day  when  Alton  reached  the  settlement  and 
found  the  few  women  there  in  a  state  of  excitement,  while 
when  he  had  heard  their  story  he  borrowed  the  best  horse 
he  could  find  and  rode  out  at  a  gallop  towards  the  ranges. 
He  had  also  spent  several  days  in  the  bush  without  finding 
any  trace  of  the  party  when  he  camped  one  evening  on  the 
edge  of  one  of  the  many  deep  ravines  the  torrents  wear  out 
of  the  hillsides.  It  stretched,  a  dim  shadowy  chasm,  across 
his  path,  and  looking  down  he  could  faintly  see  the  firs 
that  clung  here  and  there  to  the  sides  of  it  loom  faintly 
black  through  the  drifting  mist.  It  was  too  dark  to  seek 
for  a  way  of  descending  or  round  the  head  of  it,  and  he 
decided  to  remain  where  he  was  until  the  morning.  Twenty 
minutes  sufficed  to  make  his  simple  camp,  and  he  sat  with 
his  back  to  a  cedar-trunk  and  a  can  of  green  tea  beside  him, 

317, 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

while  the  shadows  crept  higher  up  the  hillsides  and  night 
came  down  to  meet  them  out  of  the  dimness  of  the  east. 

The  fire  crackled  joyously.  There  was  hope  in  all  the 
smells  of  spring,  and  the  stir  of  life  in  every  growing  thing, 
while  the  chill  that  came  down  from  the  white  peaks  fired 
the  blood  like  wine;  but  Alton  sighed  as  he  glanced  up  at 
the  stars  above  him  and  his  face  was  sombre.  There  was, 
it  seemed,  no  possibility  of  the  railroad  being  built  to 
Somasco,  he  could  only  see  disaster  in  front  of  him,  and 
knew  that  with  the  hope  of  prosperity  a  brighter  one  had 
gone.  He  would  be  a  poor  man,  and  was  a  cripple,  and — 
for  he  had  not  forgotten  his  deficiencies — could  have 
laughed  at  the  folly  which  had  led  him  to  grasp  at  that 
which  could  never  be  his.  Then  his  slow,  enduring  stub- 
bornness came  to  his  help  again  as  he  remembered  that  there 
yet  remained  to  him  the  fight  with  Hallam. 

"  I  was  a  fool.    She  only  wanted  to  be  kind,"  he  said. 

Still,  he  groaned  in  a  fit  of  passion  as  the  memory  of  one 
moment  at  midnight  in  Somasco  ranch  returned  to  him, 
for  all  his  pulses  throbbed  feverishly  as  he  felt  in  fancy  the 
warm  white  arm  steal  round  his  neck. 

"  I  must  have  dreamt  it — with  the  rest,"  he  said.  "  And 
if  I  didn't,  that  was  enough  to  remember.  God  bless  her 
for  her  gentleness." 

Again  he  flung  the  memories  from  him  with  an  effort 
that  brought  a  dew  to  his  face,  but  the  conflict  which  must 
be  fought  every  day  was  over,  and  he  stretched  his  long 
limbs  amidst  the  soft  cedar-twigs  and  lay  down  to  sleep 
with  a  stolid  acquiescence  that  if  wholly  free  from  bitter-- 
ness was  but  little  brightened  by  the  victory.  The  man's  life 
had  been  a  struggle  almost  since  its  beginning,  and  he  was 
stubborn,  but  his  own  headstrong  passions  had  been  the 
most  obdurate  enemy  he  had  ever  brought  into  subjection. 

Sleep  came  and  brought  him  forgetfulness.  The  fire 
sank  to  a  lambent  flicker  above  the  white-flecked  embers, 
the  pines  sang  their  mystic  songs  about  him  as  a  little 
breeze  awoke,  and  their  soft  sighing  was  answered  by  the 
growl  of  the  torrent  far  down  in  the  ravine.  Now  and  then 
the  horse  stamped  restlessly  and  tugged  at  the  lariat  that 
was  pegged  down  within  reach  of  Alton's  arm,  and  once 


"THE   THIRD   TIME" 

came  up  and  looked  down  on  him.  Alton  usually  slum- 
bered lightly  in  the  bush,  but  man's  primitive  instincts 
reassert  themselves  in  the  wilderness,  and  because  it  is 
possible  that  his  senses  were  not  wholly  dormant  and  there 
was  some  subtle  sympathy  between  him  and  the  beasts 
that  served  him  he  did  not  awaken. 

Then  the  horse  grew  restless  and  pricked  its  ears,  stood 
still  snorting,  and  backed  away  to  the  length  of  its  tether 
as  a  face  looked  out  from  the  undergrowth.  The  sinking 
light  of  the  fire  was  on  it,  and  it  was  an  evil  face  with  the 
stamp  of  hunger  on  it,  and  malevolence  in  the  staring  eyes. 
Again  the  horse  snorted  and  trembled  as  an  arm  was  thrust 
out  of  the  bushes  and  something  glinted  in  the  hand,  but 
Alton  still  lay  motionless  with  the  pack  saddle  under  his 
shoulders. 

Then  a  man  crawled  clear  of  the  undergrowth,  rose  up, 
and  stooped  over  the  lariat  with  a  knife  in  his  hand.  He 
needed  a  horse  badly,  and  one  stroke  with  the  blade  would 
give  him  one;  but  he  needed  food  and  a  saddle  almost  as 
much,  and  moving  forward  a  few  paces  gazed  at  the  sleep- 
ing man.  He  saw  the  pack  that  had  been  seized  to  the 
saddle,  and  guessed  that  there  were  several  days'  provisions 
inside  it,  while  a  wolfish  gleam  came  into  his  eyes  as  he 
straightened  himself  and  stood  very  still  listening.  His 
garments  hung  in  thorn-rent  rags  about  him,  weariness  was 
in  his  very  attitude,  but  his  face  had  written  on  it  the  cun- 
ning and  courage  of  desperation,  for  he  had  been  hunted  by 
tireless  men  who  were  then  close  behind  him,  and  had 
'travelled  for  the  most  part  starving  and  without  sleep. 
With  a  good  horse  and  provisions  he  could  yet  escape  his 
enemies,  and  the  man  looked  scarcely  human  as  he  stood 
watching  the  sleeper  with  a  sullen  glow  in  his  eyes. 

There  was  nothing  audible  but  the  sighing  of  the  pines 
and  the  faint  sound  of  breathing,  and  moving  a  pace  nearer 
he  stopped  again.  The  man  he  watched  was  very  still,  but 
a  little  breeze  fanned  the  fire,  and  when  the  flickering 
radiance  passed  across  his  face  the  watcher  almost  betrayed 
himself  with  a  cry  as  he  recognized  him.  There  was  only 
one  course  open  to  him  now,  and  with  the  muscles  of  his 
right  arm  contracting  and  the  lean  soiled-stained  fingers  he 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

had  clawed  his  way  up  the  ravine  with  closing  on  the  kr.ife, 
he  crept  forward  another  pace.  He  had  no  great  fear  of 
anything  Horton  and  the  ranchers  could  do  without  the 
help  of  this  man  who  could  condemn  him,  and  he  knew  his 
capabilities.  Now  one  swift  thrust  would  silence  him  for- 
ever, and  once  he  could  reach  the  railroad  there  was  a  man 
who  for  his  own  sake  would  help  him  safely  out  of  the 
country  with  as  many  dollars  as  he  might  demand.  Still, 
he  slipped  out  of  the  firelight  next  second,  and  the  knife 
shook  a  little  in  his  hand. 

Alton  had  lain  with  his  right  arm  under  him,  and  the 
starched  shirt  he  had  worn  when  he  left  the  city  showing 
white  where  the  jacket  and  blanket  had  fallen  apart,  but 
now  the  arm  was  stretched  across  his  body.  Still,  his  eyes 
were  closed,  and  the  man  who  surmised  that  he  must  have 
moved  while  he  glanced  at  the  provisions  closed  with  him 
swiftly,  crouching.  He  stopped  again,  stooping  further,  for 
the  arm  and  blanket  were  in  the  way,  and  he  knew  he 
might  have  no  opportunity  for  a  second  thrust.  Something 
must  be  risked,  and  moving  his  eyes  from  the  sleeper's  face 
he  endeavoured  to  draw  the  blanket  gently  aside. 

That  was  a  blunder,  for  the  soil-stained  fingers  had 
scarcely  touched  the  fabric  when  a  fist  was  dashed  full  in 
his  face,  and  as  he  staggered  backwards  something  hove 
itself  partly  upright  and  fell  upon  him.  After  that  neither 
of  them  knew  all  that  had  happened,  but  the  knife  fell  from 
a  hand  whose  wrist  yielded  under  a  crushing  grasp,  and 
was  kicked  away  and  trampled  on.  Then  breathing  ster- 
torously  they  reeled  into  a  fir,  and  the  assailant's  hand  was 
free  again,  while  stones  rattled  beneath  them  as  Alton, 
half-suffocated,  flung  him  almost  at  arm's  length  from  him. 
Then  the  ground  seemed  to  slip  away  beneath  him,  and  he 
wound  an  arm  about  his  adversary  as  he  smote  again. 

Faint  as  he  was  with  the  blow,  Alton  did  not,  however, 
strive  to  shake  him  off  now,  but  grappled  with  him  the 
more  closely,  and  next  moment  they  had  rolled  crashing 
through  a  juniper.  Then  the  other  man  came  down  under- 
most and  struck  a  stone,  there  was  a  swift  glissade  over 
rattling  shingle  and  through  smashing  undergrowth,  and 
Alton  lay  still  alone,  while  something  rolled  on  down  the 

320 


'THE   THIRD   TIME" 

slope  beneath  him,  until  hearing  a  splash  below  he  rose 
with  a  little  hoarse  cry  and  swung  himself  off  the  ledge 
which  had  arrested  him.  He  rolled  over  severaljimes,  but 
came  down,  as  he  discovered  later,  whole  in  limb,  for  he 
could  think  of  nothing  then  as  he  groped  in  and  out  amidst 
the  pools  and  boulders  for  his  enemy.  When  he  found  him 
the  man  lay  with  his  face  apparently  in  the  water,  and 
only  moaned  a  little  when  Alton  shook  him. 

Then  suddenly  his  passion  fell  from  him,  and  with  a 
gentleness  that  was  in  no  way  akin  to  pity  he  dragged  the 
limp  body  from  the  water,  and  sat  down  to  wait  for  morning 
with  the  wet  head  upon  his  knee.  The  morning  was  also 
a  very  long  while  coming,  but  at  last,  when  the  stars  were 
paling  and  the  dark  pines  slowly  grew  into  shape  and  form, 
there  was  a  sound  of  footsteps  on  the  heights  above  and  a 
voice  he  recognized  came  down: 

"  Come  right  along.  Here's  his  fire,  but  the  man  has 
gone." 

"  Charley !  "  cried  Alton,  and  there  was  an  exclamation 
of  astonishment  followed  by  a  scrambling,  and  presently 
Seaforth  stopped  with  a  little  gasp  by  his  comrade.  Alton's 
face  showed  drawn  and  grey  in  the  creeping  light,  and  there 
was  another  more  blanched  one  in  the  wet  fern  beside  him. 

"  Good  Lord !  "  said  Seaforth.  "  What's  the  meaning  of 
this,  Harry?" 

"  Look  at  him,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  You  should  know 
him.  I  think  this  is  the  third  time." 

"  Darner !  "  said  Seaforth  hoarsely.  "  We  were  trailing 
him,  and  knew  he  couldn't  be  far  off  when  we  saw  your  fire. 
We  took  it  for  his.  Is  he  dead  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton  gravely,  "  I  hope  not.  We  have  some 
use  for  him.  Go  back  and  get  the  lariat,  and  we'll  try  to 
heave  him  up." 


321 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

IT  was  very  quiet  and  somewhat  chilly  in  the  little  back 
room  of  Horton's  hotel  when  Darner,  who  lay  on  a  trestle- 
cot,  moved  his  head  a  trifle  and  made  a  feeble  sign.  The 
fire  had  sunk  in  the  stove,  and  it  was  then  towards  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  man's  vitality  is  at  its  lowest. 
The  young  doctor  Horton  had  brought  in  from  a  distant 
settlement  shivered  a  little  as  he  rose  and  stooped  over  the 
bed. 

Damer  glanced  at  him  out  of  glazing  eyes,  and  made  a 
faint  gesture.  "  I  have  no  use  for  you,"  he  said.  "  It's 
Alton  I  want." 

The  doctor  crossed  over  to  Horton,  who  sat  in  a  corner. 
"  If  there  is  anything  you  want  to  ask  him  lose  no  time,"  he 
said.  "  The  man  can't  last  until  the  morning." 

"  Well,"  said  Horton  gravely,  "  it  would  be  a  favour  if 
you  went  down  for  Neilson,  the  surveyor.  He's  sitting  up 
waiting.  You  see  we  want  some  witnesses  not  connected 
with  the  thing  in  case  he's  going  to  tell  us  anything.  Harry, 
you'd  better  talk  to  him." 

Alton  crossed  the  room  and  sat  down  by  the  bed.  He 
had,  as  it  happened,  come  out  almost  scatheless  from  the 
fall  into  the  ravine,  which  was  not  the  case  with  his  assailant, 
who  had  been  carried  down  to  the  settlement  with  the  life 
just  clinging  to  his  crushed  body.  All  that  was  possible 
had  been  done  for  him,  and  now  Alton  waited  with  intense 
suspense,  with  something  akin  to  compassion  in  his  eyes, 
and  his  anger  diverted  from  the  dying  wretch  to  the  man 
who  had  made  use  of  him. 

"  You're  going  to  talk  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  it's  only  square 
to  warn  you  that  it  will  be  all  put  down." 

Damer  glanced  at  Horton,  who  sat  with  a  pen  in  his 
hand  and  a  paper  on  his  knee,  and  from  him  to  the  surveyor 

322 


ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

holding  one  or  two  Government  appointments,  who  came 
quietly  in. 

"  That's  all  right,"  he  said  very  slowly.  "  Well^I  wanted 
to  kill  you,  but  I  don't  know  that  I've  a  great  deal  against 
you  now.  You  and  the  boys  did  what  you  could  for  me, 
and  it  was  a  man  in  the  city  who  held  me  to  it.  Oh,  yes, 
he's  sitting  down  there  raking  in  the  dollars,  and  don't  care 
two  cents  that  the  man  he  sent  up  to  make  them  is  dying 
here.  The  thing's  not  square,  anyway." 

Alton  was  sensible  of  a  faint  disgust,  but  he  remembered 
that  he  could  not  afford  to  be  fastidious,  because  the  men  he 
had  drawn  into  his  venture  must  stand  or  fall  with  him. 

"  We  want  to  know  who  he  is,"  he  said. 

There  was  a  glimmer  of  malice  in  Darner's  face.  "  Well," 
he  said,  and  the  strained  voice  grew  clearer,  "  it  was  Hallam 
of  the  Tyee.  There  was  something  1  did  that  gave  him  a 
pull  on  me,  and  that  man  has  no  mercy  for  anybody." 

Alton  heard  the  scratching  of  Horton's  pen.  "And 
Hallam  hired  you  to  murder  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  Damer  glanced  at  Horton.  "  You  have  got 
that  down  ?  At  first  he  only  hired  me  to  go  up  to  Somasco 
and  watch  you  while  I  worked  for  you.  You're  a  tolerably 
smart  man,  Harry  Alton,  but  it's  kind  of  curious  you  didn't 
know  me." 

Alton  stared  at  the  drawn  face  with  a  bewildered  expres- 
sion, and  then  moved  a  trifle  in  his  chair.  "  Good  Lord !  " 
he  said.  "  Black  Nailer's  partner !  Well,  I  didn't  see  you 
that  often — and  it  was  dark  when " 

Darner's  face  went  awry  with  pain,  but  his  gesture  implied 
icomprehension. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  feebly.  "  When  you  got  him  with  the 
axe.  Nailer  had  been  on  the  whisky,  and  that  gun  of  his 
was  a  little  stiff  on  the  magazine-spring ;  but  he  was  the  best 
partner  I  ever  had,  and  I  left  a  good  claim  behind  when  you 
and  the  boys  chased  me  right  out  of  that  part  of  Washing- 
ton. Now  you've  got  the  beginning.  Give  me  a  little  more 
brandy." 

The  doctor  came  forward  softly  and  held  a  glass  to  the 
cracked  lips,  then  lifted  the  dying  man  a  little.  After  that 
there  was  silence  for  at  least  five  minutes,  and  Alton  sat 

323 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

rigidly  still,  choking  down  his  fierce  impatience  as  he  saw 
his  last  hope  slipping  away  from  him.  Then  he  drew  in 
his  breath  with  a  quivering  sigh  as  the  feeble  voice  com- 
menced again. 

"  Get  it  down.    You  haven't  much  time." 

Horton's  pen  scratched  and  spluttered,  as  sinking  now 
and  then  almost  beyond  hearing,  the  disjointed  words  fell 
from  the  lips  that  could  scarcely  frame  them ;  but  it  was 
nevertheless  with  a  horrible  vividness  that  Damer  told  his 
story,  and  those  who  sat  listening  gasped  with  relief  when 
at  last  it  was  finished  and  everything  was  plain.  Then  he 
signed  to  the  doctor,  who  raised  his  head  a  trifle  and  once 
more  held  a  glass  to  his  lips. 

"  Read  it.  I  want  to  see  you've  got  it  straight,"  he  said. 
'  For  a  space  Horton's  voice  rose  and  fell  monotonously 
as  he  read  in  haste.  Then  he  approached  the  bed  with  the 
paper,  and  the  dying  man  seized  the  pen.  He  traced  a  few 
straggling  characters  upon  the  document,  and  let  it  fall 
again,  watched  with  strained  impatience  while  Horton  and 
the  surveyor  signed,  and  then  turned  his  head  from  the 
light. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  I've  fixed  the  man  who  held 
the  whip  over  me  up  quite  tight." 

It  was  probably  ten  minutes  before  he  moved  again,  and 
then  he  signed  to  Alton  very  feebly  with  his  fingers,  while  a 
curious  look  that  afterwards  puzzled  the  rancher,  who  could 
not  forget  it,  crept  into  his  eyes.  There  was  vindictiveness 
in  it,  but  whether  there  was  more  than  this  he  could  never 
tell. 

"  There's  just  another  thing,"  he  said  in  a  hoarse,  strained 
whisper  as  Alton  bent  over  him.  "  Come  nearer — a  little 
nearer  still.  Now  there  was  another  man  as  well  as 
Hallam." 

Alton  glancing  round  saw  that  the  others  had  not  heard, 
and  stooped  a  trifle  further  as  the  cracked  lips  moved 
again.  Nobody  caught  what  Damer  told  him,  but  when  he 
straightened  himself  again  his  face  was  white  and  grim,  and 
he  went  out  without  a  word  to  any  one.  Then  the  flicker 
of  a  smile  came  into  the  eyes  of  the  dying  man,  and  he 
moved  his  hea'd  so  that  his  face  was  hidden.  The  doctor, 

324 


ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

crossing  over  softly,  looked  down  on  him  and  signed  to 
the  others  that  they  might  leave  the  room. 

"  He  may  last  an  hour  or  two,  but  I  don't  think  he  will 
speak  again,"  he  said. 

In  the  meanwhile  Alton  strode  with  hands  clenched  into 
the  shadows  of  the  silent  pines.  He  had  long  been  troubled 
by  vague  suspicions,  and  had  driven  them  away,  but  he 
could  not  doubt  what  Darner  had  told  him,  and  groaned  as 
he  stood  face  to  face  with  the  verity.  He  had  been  too 
proud  to  stoop  at  any  time  to  take  an  unfair  advantage  of 
an  enemy,  but  he  could  not  lightly  forget  a  wrong,  and 
there  was  a  trace  of  stubborn  vindictiveness  within  him. 
Hallam  had  brought  him  down  to  ruin,  and  thrice  struck  at 
his  life  by  treachery,  and  now  Darner's  testimony  had 
placed  his  enemy  in  his  hand.  He  had  but  to  close  it  and 
crush  him,  but  he  also  realized  with  fierce  anger  what  this 
would  cost  him,  for  Hallam  had,  it  seemed,  protected  him- 
self effectively.  If  he  dragged  Hallam  down  Deringham 
must  fall  with  him,  and  while  that  consideration  alone 
would  not  have  stayed  him  in  spite  of  the  curious  pride  of 
race  and  family  which  he  had  become  sensible  of  of  late, 
it  was  evident  that  his  daughter  must  suffer  too.  She  had 
done  no  wrong,  and  Alton,  who  thought  of  her  with  a  great 
tenderness,  dare  not  contemplate  all  that  the  revelation 
would  cost  her. 

It  would  have  been  bitter  to  let  his  enemy  go  free,  had  he 
stood  alone,  but  that  was,  he  realized,  what  no  man  can 
do,  and  there  were  behind  him  with  their  future  linked  to 
his  the  ranchers  of  Somasco  whose  safety  demanded  that 
he  should  put  it  out  of  Hallam's  power  to  do  them  a  further 
injury.  It  would  also  be  so  simple.  He  had  but  to  hold 
his  hand,  and  Horton  would  take  all  the  action  that  was 
needful. 

Then  it  became  more  plain  to  him  that  even  at  the  cost 
of  his  loyalty  to  his  comrades  he  could  not  allow  the  woman 
he  loved  to  suffer  with  the  guilty.  He  knew  her  pride  and 
that  the  blow  would  crush  her,  but  again  through  all  his 
pity  for  her  a  gust  of  rage  shook  him,  and  he  ground  the 
soft  cedar-twigs  viciously  beneath  his  heel.  He  could  not 
face  the  thought  of  the  woman's  humiliation.  Everything 

325 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

must  go,  his  pride,  his  faith,  his  vengeance,  before  that 
came  about,  and  he  stopped  in  his  restless  pacing  and 
leaned  against  a  pine  as  the  conflicting  emotions  gave  place 
to  a  quiet  resolution.  At  last  he  could  see  the  stars  between 
the  great  branches  high  above  him,  and  shivered  a  little 
as  a  chilly  breeze  sighed  across  the  silent  bush.  Something 
in  its  stillness  reacted  upon  him,  and  the  last  trace  of  his 
passion  melted  away.  If  he  did  wrong  he  alone  would  be 
responsible,  and  at  least  his  enemy's  daughter  should  not 
suffer. 

Walking  very  slowly  he  went  back  to  the  hotel,  and 
found  Horton  writing.  He  glanced  at  Alton  curiously  and 
then  answered  the  unasked  question. 

"  Yes,"  he  said ;  "  he's  out  on  the  trail  now,  and  one 
would  kind  of  wonder  where  it  was  taking  him.  Where 
have  you  been  all  this  time,  Harry  ?  " 

"  How  long  have  I  been  ?  "  said  Alton. 

"  Two  hours,  anyway.  Well,  you  needn't  tell  me  if  you 
don't  want  to,  but  it's  quite  easy  to  see  that  something  is 
worrying  you." 

Alton  concealed  his  astonishment.  "  I've  had  things  to 
think  about,"  said  he.  "  Wasn't  there  a  paper  you  took 
from  Darner?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  and  Horton  flung  him  several  crumpled  sheets 
across.  "  Nothing  much  to  be  made  of  that.  It  has  been 
given  him  to  send  cipher  telegrams  with." 

Alton  glanced  at  the  paper  with  apparently  vague  curi- 


going  back  at  sun  up  to  restake  the  claim." 

Horton   looked   thoughtful.     "I'm  not   quite   sure   you 
could  hold  it.    It  hasn't  been  declared  open." 
((  Alton  laughed  a  little.    "  Well,  I  think  I  can,"  he  said. 
"Darner  hadn't  got  his  patent,  anyway,  and  it's  scarcely 
likely  that  the  man  who  sent  him  will  protest  against  me." 

Then  he  slowly  strolled  away,  but  once  the  door  closed 
behind  him  moved  with  quick  resolute  steps  to  his  room. 
There  he  sat  busy  with  pen  and  paper  for  several  minutes, 
and  then  descending  softly  found  Okanagan  in  the  store. 

326 


ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

"  Get  your  horse  as  quietly  as  you  can,  and  ride  in  to  the 
railroad  with  this  message  as  if  the  devil  was  after  you,"  he 
said. 

Okanagan  stretched  himself  sleepily.  "  HortonVsending 
in  at  sun  up." 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton  dryly.  "  I  want  my  message  on  the 
wires  some  hours  before  his,  but  nobody  need  know  of 
it  beyond  you  and  me." 

Okanagan  nodded,  and  in  another  five  minutes  Alton 
looked  into  the  room  where  Horton  was  still  writing. 

"  I  fancied  I  heard  somebody  riding  down  the  trail,  but 
it's  not  quite  easy  being  a  magistrate,  and  my  head's  got 
kind  of  mixed,"  said  the  latter.  "  Still,  I've  nearly  got 
this  thing  fixed,  and  if  the  folks  down  in  Vancouver  don't 
fool  over  it,  when  Hallam  hears  what's  happened  to  his 
partner  he'll  be  under  lock  and  key." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Alton.  "  We'll  hope  for  the  best,  though 
that  man's  kind  of  slippery." 

In  the  meanwhile  Tom  of  Okanagan  was  riding  at  a 
gallop  down  the  trail,  with  the  thin  mist  whirling  by  him 
and  the  stars  above  him  growing  dim,  and  there  were 
several  leagues  between  him  and  the  settlement  when  day- 
light crept  slowly  into  the  valley.  Thus  it  happened  that 
Horton's  dispatches  to  the  police  at  Vancouver  were  not 
the  first  that  left  the  station,  and  that  evening  Deringham, 
who  was  sitting  with  his  daughter  on  the  verandah  of 
Forel's  house,  turned  from  the  girl  with  a  little  closing  of 
his  lips  as  he  saw  Hallam  coming  up  the  pathway.  His 
movements  suggested  nervous  haste,  and  though  he  was 
usually  neat  in  dress,  his  unbuttoned  coat  had  evidently  been 
flung  on,  while  the  glance  he  cast  behind  him  towards 
the  wharf  where  one  of  the  Sound  steamers  was  about  to 
sail  savoured  of  apprehension.  This  did  not  escape  Alice 
Deringham. 

"  Mr.  Hallam  seems  to  be  in  a  hurry,"  she  said.  "  I  wish 
he  had  not  come  now,  because  I  do  not  like  that  man,  and 
you  have  not  been  well  lately..  You  will  not  let  him  dis- 
turb you  ?  " 

Deringham  rose  and  looked  down  on  her  with  a  curious 
little  smile.  "  I  don't  know  that  it  can  be  helped,  but  I 

327. 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

am  no  more  pleased  to  see  Mr.  Hallam  than  you  seem  to 
be,"  he  said. 

For  a  moment,  and  though  the  breach  between  them 
had  not  been  healed,  the  girl's  heart  smote  her.  Dering- 
ham  had  beguiled  her  into  an  action  whose  memory  would, 
she  fancied,  always  retain  its  sting,  but  he  was  her  father, 
and  seemed  very  worn  and  ill.  Also  some  instinctive  im- 
pulse prompted  her  to  detain  him. 

"  Father,"  she  said  pleadingly,  "  don't  see  him.  Go 
in  at  once,  and  I  will  tell  him  that  quietness  is  necessary 
to  you." 

Deringham  had  almost  yielded  to  the  hand  upon  his  arm 
when  Hallam  glanced  in  their  direction  and  signed  to  him. 
Then  he  shook  off  the  girl's  grasp  and  she  shivered  a  little 
for  no  apparent  reason  as  they  went  in  together.  There 
was  nobody  else  about,  for  Mrs.  Forel  and  her  husband  had 
gone  down  to  the  city,  and  she  sat  alone  on  the  verandah 
while  a  murmur  of  voices  reached  her  through  an  open 
window.  Though  his  words  were  inaudible  her  father  ap- 
peared to  be  expostulating.  Then  he  came  out,  and  as 
she  noticed  there  was  an  unusual  pallor  in  his  face  and 
that  his  hands  were  trembling,  she  remembered  he  had 
looked  as  he  did  then  once  before  when  a  partial  failure 
of  the  heart's  action  had  almost  cost  him  his  life. 

"  You  must  send  Mr.  Hallam  away  at  once,"  she  said. 

Deringham  made  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  I  shall  be 
rid  of  him  altogether  in  a  few  more  minutes.  You  have 
some  money  by  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl.  "  I  am  not  fond  of  going  to  the 
bank,  and  got  Mr.  Forel  to  change  my  English  cheque  into 
currency,  but  why  do  you  want  it  ?  " 

"  Hallam  has  to  catch  the  steamer,  and  the  banks  are 
shut.  Don't  ask  questions  now,  but  get  me  the  money 
quick." 

Alice  Deringham  went  in,  and  returned  with  a  little 
satchel.  "  This  is  all  I  have,  and  I  don't  feel  very  willing 
to  lend  it  Mr.  Hallam/'  she  said. 

Deringham  took  the  satchel  from  her  and  moved  away; 
then,  as  though  acting  under  impulse,  he  stopped  and 
looked  back  at  her. 

328 


ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear,"  he  said,  with  a  curious  gentle- 
ness. "  It  has  relieved  me  of  a  good  deal  of  anxiety." 

He  went  away,  and  Alice  Deringham,  hearing  the  door 
close  behind  him,  wondered  a  little.  When  she  next  looked 
up  she  saw  Hallam  swinging  with  hasty  strides  down  the 
road,  and  a  little  later  the  roar  of  a  whistle  rang  about  the 
pines  as  a  big  white  steamer  moved  out  into  the  inlet.  A 
cloud  of  yellow  vapour  rolled  from  her  funnel,  there  was 
a  frothing  wash  beneath  her  towering  sides,  and  the  girl 
watched  her  languidly  until  the  pines  which  shroud  the 
Narrows  shut  the  great  white  fabric  from  her  sight  and  left 
only  a  moving  trail  of  smoke. 

Then  she  felt  happier.  The  steamer  had  at  least  taken 
Hallam  away,  and  her  father  was  not  now  the  courtly 
though  somewhat  reserved  gentleman  who  had  treated  her 
with  indulgent  kindness  until  Hallam  crossed  his  path.  It 
was  a  fine  evening,  and  she  sat  still  on  the  verandah  won- 
dering how  the  rift  had  imperceptibly  widened  between 
them,  until  again  the  blood  crept  to  her  forehead  as  she 
remembered  that  it  was  at  his  instigation  she  had  detained 
Alton.  Still,  though  she  realized  that  this  could  not  be 
wholly  forgotten,  she  took  her  part  of  the  blame,  and  felt 
sorry  for  the  harassed  man  whose  anxieties  were  intensified 
by  his  solicitude  for  her  welfare.  He  was  in  difficulties, 
his  health  was  failing,  and  she  decided  upon  an  attempt  at 
reconciliation.  The  respect  she  had  cherished  for  him  could 
never  be  quite  restored,  but  she  could  be  a  more  sympathetic 
daughter,  and  help  him  to  bear  his  troubles.  Then  as  she 
glanced  down  across  the  inlet  with  eyes  that  grew  softer, 
Forel  and  his  wife  came  up  through  the  garden. 

"  Still  alone?"  he  said.    "  Where  is  your  father?" 

"  I  think  he  is  in  your  room,"  said  the  girl.  "  Mr.  Hal- 
lam came  in  to  see  him  ?  " 

"  Hallam  ?  Now  I  wonder "  said  Forel,  and  stopped, 

but  Alice  Deringham  had  seen  his  face,  and  being  a  woman 
took  instinctive  warning. 

"  I  don't  think  he  wanted  anything  of  importance,  and  he 
was  only  in  a  minute  or  two,"  she  said. 

They  went  in  together,  but  Forel  was  behind  the  girl 
when  she  pushed  open  a  door  and  then  stopped  just  inside 

329 


ALTON    OF    SOMASCO 

it.  Deringham  was  sitting  before  a  table,  and  there  was 
something  that  perplexed  her  in  his  attitude.  He  seemed 
curiously  still,  and  his  head  had  fallen  forward. 

"  Father,"  she  said,  and  her  heart  beat  a  trifle  faster,  for 
Deringham  did  not  move. 

His  face  was  not  visible,  and  moving  forward  she  grew 
suddenly  faint  and  cold  as  she  touched  his  shoulder.  There 
was  no  response  from  the  man,  and  she  now  noticed  that  he 
seemed  huddled  together;  but  she  saw  nothing  more,  for 
just  then  a  hand  was  laid  upon  her  arm.  Shaking  off  the 
grasp,  she  turned  and  saw  her  growing  horror  reflected  in 
Forel's  face. 

"  You  must  come  away,  my  dear,"  he  said  hoarsely. 

Alice  Deringham  shivered,  but  she  stood  very  straight 
a  moment,  staring  down  with  dilated  eyes  at  the  grim  figure 
in  the  chair. 

"  Touch  him.  Speak  to  him,"  she  said  in  a  voice  that  set 
Forel's  nerves  on  edge,  and  then  as  the  last  faint  hope  died 
away,  stretched  out  her  hands  with  a  little  half-choked  cry. 

"  Come  away,"  said  Forel  very  huskily. 

He  was  sensible  that  the  girl's  hand  was  very  cold  as  he 
drew  her  from  the  room,  but  he  left  her  with  his  wife  on 
the  verandah  and  then  went  back  hastily.  Forel  was  a 
kindly  man,  but  he  knew  that  speculation  in  Western  mines 
has  its  under-side,  and  it  was  for  the  girl's  sake  he  stripped 
off  the  top  sheet  of  the  blotting-pad,  which  had  a  recent 
impression  on  it,  and  afterwards  poured  the  remaining 
contents  of  a  wineglass  out  into  the  stove.  Then  he  glanced 
all  round  the  room  before  he  went  out  to  send  for  a  doctor. 
It  was  an  hour  later  when  he  found  his  wife  alone. 

"  How  is  she  ?  "  he  said. 

Mrs.  Forel's  eyes  were  hazy.  "  I  think  she  has  given  way 
at  last — it  was  awful  at  first  when  she  would  only  sit  and 
look  at  me,"  she  said;  and  then  her  voice  sank  a  little, 
"  How  did  it  happen,  Tom?  " 

"  Heart  disease,"  said  Forel.  "  The  doctor  is  quite  sure 
of  that." 

"  But,"  said  Mrs.  Forel,  "  what  brought  it  on?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Forel  slowly,  "  anything  that  upsets  one 
is  apt  to  prove  perilous  in  cases  like  his,  and  I  rather  fancy 

330 


ALTON   HOLDS   HIS   HAND 

that  Deringham  had  a  quarrel  with  Hallam.  They  had 
dealings  together,  and  I  think  Deringham  must  have  lost 
a  good  deal  of  money.  You  will  not,  however,  mention  it 
to  anybody."  ^ 

Mrs.  Forel  looked  at  her  husband  curiously.  "  No,  of 
course,"  she  said.  "  I  wish  I  knew  what  to  do  for  the 
girl." 


331 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 
MISS  DERINGHAM'S  CONFESSION 

SEVERAL  weeks  had  passed  since  Deringham's  funeral 
when  one  evening  Forel,  sitting  alone  on  his  verandah,  saw 
Alton  coming  up  the  pathway.  His  face  was  once  more 
bronzed  by  wind  and  sun,  but  it  had  not  wholly  lost  the 
sombreness  Forel  had  noticed  when  he  had  last  seen  him 
in  Vancouver. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Forel,  for  I've  just  come  in  from 
Victoria,  and  there's  a  good  deal  I  want  to  know,"  he 
said. 

"  You  generally  do,"  and  Forel  became  suddenly  grave. 
"  You  heard  what  happened  to  your  kinsman  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Alton.  "  It  was  some  time  before  I  got  your 
letter.  I  was  back  up  there  at  the  mine,  you  know.  Very 
sudden,  wasn't  it  ?  " 

Forel  nodded.  "  Still,  it  was  not  altogether  astonishing. 
The  doctor  had  warned  him  a  few  days  before  it  happened 
that  any  unusual  exertion  or  excitement  might  prove 
perilous." 

"And,  so  far  as  you  know,  was  there  anything  of  that 
kind?" 

Forel  watched  his  companion  closely  as  he  answered : 
"  I  have  told  nobody  else,  but  Hallam  called  here  and  saw 
him  shortly  before  it  happened." 

Alton's  face  remained  impassive,  but  his  voice  was  not 
quite  in  accordance  with  it  as  he  said,  "  The  police  have 
no  word  of  him  ?  " 

Forel  smiled.  "As  there  cannot  well  be  a  prosecution 
without  a  prisoner  they  are  somewhat  reticent.  Still,  Hal- 
lam  caught  the  Sound  steamer,  and  late  that  night  one 
of  the  officers  came  round  here,  while  I  was  eventually 
able  to  glean  a  few  details.  The  steamer  had  called  at  one 

333 


MISS   DERINGHAM'S    CONFESSION 

or  two  ports  before  they  got  the  wires,  and  while  the  Ameri- 
can police  might  have  shadowed  him,  you  cannot  arrest  a 
Canadian  across  the  frontier  until  you  get  your  papers 
through.  By  the  time  that  was  done  there  was  no  trace 
of  Hallam.  Still,  I'm  a  little  puzzled,  because  he,  seems  to 
have  cleared  out  at  a  moment's  notice,  and  it's  difficult  to 
see  who  could  have  warned  him." 

Forel  fancied  that  Alton  seemed  relieved.  "  He  has  gone, 
anyway,"  he  said.  "  Still,  if  he  had  only  time  to  catch 
the  steamer  the  banks  would  be  closed,  and  he  couldn't 
go  very  far  without  dollars.  They  generally  want  two 
signatures  to  a  cheque  in  a  concern  like  his." 

Forel  looked  Alton  steadily  in  the  face.  "  I  happen  to 
know  that  he  took  a  good  big  cheque  with  him,  and  it  was 
negotiated  in  Tacoma,"  he  said.  "  It  has  transpired  since 
that  his  partner  was  away  that  day,  and  his  cheque-book 
not  available." 

Alton's  eyes  closed  a  trifle,  and  though  he  made  no 
other  sign  Forel  saw  that  the  shot  had  reached  its  mark. 
"  Then,"  he  said  slowly,  "  I  would  rather  you  didn't  mention 
it.  Hallam  is  scarcely  likely  to  venture  back  again." 

"  No,"  said  Forel.  "  There  were,  I  fancy,  things  his 
partners  didn't  know,  but  when  he  had  gone  they  com- 
menced inquiring,  and  it  is  currently  believed  that  what 
they  discovered  slightly  astonished  them.  Then  there  was 
an  indignation  meeting  of  the  Tyee  shareholders  and  talk 
about  prosecuting  the  accountant." 

There  was  relief  in  Alton's  face,  which  softened  sud- 
denly as  he  said,  "  And  how  is  Miss  Deringham  ?  " 

Forel  smiled.  "  I  fancied  you  were  about  to  ask  that 
question  first,"  he  said.  "  The  girl  seemed  to  take  it  very 
hard,  and  at  last  I  sent  my  wife  and  her  away  up  to  the 
hotel  in  the  Rockies.  Hettie  has  persuaded  her  to  stay  on 
here,  and  I  expect  them  home  very  shortly." 

"  But  she  would  be  wanted  at  Carnaby  ?  "  said  Alton. 

"  Well,"  said  Forel,  once  more  watching  him,  "  I  believe 
the  lawyers  wrote  for  her,  but  she  seems  to  have  a  horror  of 
the  place,  and  Hettie  dare  scarcely  mention  it  to  her.  I'll 
tell  you  nothing  more  until  you've  had  dinner." 

Forel  adhered  to  his  resolution,  and  it  was  more  than  an 

333 


ALTON   OF    SOMASCO 

hour  later  when  he  returned  to  the  subject  as  they  sat,  cigar 
in  hand,  on  the  verandah,  watching  the  lights  of  the  vessels 
blink  across  the  inlet.  "  We  are  going  to  keep  Miss  Der- 
ingham  as  long  as  we  can,"  he  said.  "  She  has  no  kins- 
folk she  thinks  much  of  in  England,  and  Hettie  is  very  fond 
of  her.  Did  I-  tell  you  that  Thorne  called  upon  her  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alton,  with  a  curious  vibration  in  his  voice. 

"  Well,"  said  Forel,  "  I  meant  to.  No  doubt  he  felt  it 
his  duty,  but  Hettie  seemed  to  fancy  there  was  something 
else.  Still,  I  think  she  was  mistaken,  because  he  said  good- 
bye to  us  when  he  went  away,  and  we  heard  since  that  he 
had  sailed  for  another  station." 

"  He  was  a  good  man,"  said  Alton  gravely. 

Forel  glanced  at  him  curiously.  "  Women  are  subject  to 
such  fancies,  and  Hettie  had  another  once,"  he  said.  "  In 
fact,  I  think  she  was  quite  sorry  when  it  apparently  came 
to  nothing." 

Alton  laughed  mirthlessly.  "  Wasn't  it  a  trifle  foolish 
of  Mrs.  Forel?  Miss  Deringham  is  a  lady  of  position  in 
the  old  country,  and  I  a  bush  rancher,  standing  on  the  brink 
of  ruin,  and  a  cripple." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Forel,  "  you  know  best.  Still,  I  can't 
help  fancying  you  are  unduly  proud  of  your  affliction,  be- 
cause it  is  scarcely  perceptible  to  other  people,  while  Miss 
Deringham  has  not  a  great  deal  to  maintain  her  position 
with.  You  see  the  death  duties  are  heavy  in  the  old  country, 
and  from  the  letters  she  has  shown  me  Deringham  appears 
to  have  involved  the  estate  considerably  during  his  steward- 
ship." 

Alton  laid  down  his  cigar.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are 
taking  a  liberty  in  discussing  Miss  Deringham's  affairs," 
he  said  dryly. 

"  Well,"  said  Forel,  with  a  little  smile,  "  you  have  a  good 
deal  to  tell  me." 

Alton  nodded.  "  I  went  back  to  the  mine  after  Darner's 
death,"  he  said.  "  Got  there  just  before  sun  up,  and  we 
had  our  stakes  in  before  Hallam's  men  quite  realized  what 
we  were  after.  Of  course  there  was  a  circus,  but  we  had 
expected  it  and  fixed  things  accordingly.  Hallam's  men 
went  out  and  I  came  down  to  see  the  Crown  people  in 

334 


MISS  DERINGHAM'S   CONFESSION 

Victoria.  Two  or  three  of  the  others,  however,  called  on 
the  nearest  recorder's  at  the  same  time  as  me.  We  came 
down  in  the  same  cars,  you  see." 

"Have  we  any  chance  at  all?"  said  Forel. 

Alton  smiled  dryly.  "  I  left  Okanagan  and  Seaforth 
with  enough  of  the  boys  to  hold  the  claim  sitting  tight," 
he  said.  "  Talked  to  the  chiefs  in  Victoria,  and  showed 
them  Darner's  testimony.  They  told  me  that  nobody  had 
a  patent,  and  that  everything  that  had  been  done  was 
informal,  and  because  they  would  probably  have  to  submit 
the  case  to  Ottawa  it  would  take  time  for  them  to  come 
to  a  decision.  And  now  for  Somasco.  The  new  mill's 
finished,  but  it  has  got  to  live  on  the  local  demand,  and 
just  now  there  isn't  any.  We're  half  through  with  the 
desiccatory,  but  as  it  seems  the  Government  will  not  make  us 
roads,  the  California  people  with  their  cheap  transport 
will  beat  us  easily.  I've  got  thirty  men  chopping  out 
a  new  trail  one  could  haul  a  loaded  wagon  on,  and  don't 
quite  know  how  to  pay  them.  We've  raised  a  piece  of  the 
cannery,  but  for  want  of  dollars  don't  go  on,  and,  to  put 
it  straight,  unless  that  railroad  comes  in,  Somasco  will  be 
busted  when  the  loans  come  due." 

"  Well,"  said  Forel,  "  I've  some  news  for  you.  One  of 
my  clients  who  seems  to  think  a  good  deal  of  the  future 
of  Somasco  offers  dollars  enough  to  help  you  considerably 
— in  fact,  half  as  much  again  as  you  were  asking  for 
lately." 

Alton's  face  brightened,  and  then  grew  clouded  again. 
"  The  other  folks  have  security,  and  as  I  don't  know  that 
we  have  anything  we  could  offer  this  one,  I'm  not  sure 
it  would  be  square,"  he  said. 

"  The  dollars,"  said  Forel,  "  are  now  in  my  hands,  and  I 
fancy  that  if  you  will  go  through  the  books  with  me  to- 
morrow we  can  find  something  that  would  figure  as  security. 
In  fact,  the  lender  left  me  a  tolerably  wide  discretion  and 
would  almost  as  soon  I  sank  the  dollars  to  take  a  share  of 
the  profits  as  put  them  out  on  loan." 

Alton  appeared  astonished.  "  Considering  our  present 
credit,  that  is  somewhat  curious." 

"  There  it  is,  anyway,"  said  Forel,  smiling.    "  There  are, 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

it  seems,  still  people  who  believe  in  Somasco  and  you,  but 
we'll  see  what  we  can  fix  up  to-morrow." 

Alton  stood  up  and  straightened  himself  to  his  full 
height,  while  his  voice  trembled  a  little  as  he  said,  "Then 
I  think  whoever  it  is  is  going  to  save  us  yet." 

Forel  made  no  answer,  but  he  fancied  that  his  client 
would  have  been  contented  had  she  seen  how  Alton  seemed 
to  shake  off  the  grim  hopelessness  that  had  been  too  ap- 
parent through  all  his  resolution. 

It  was  with  a  lighter  heart  that  Alton  went  away,  and 
having  little  leisure  or  inclination  for  company,  he  did  not 
go  back  to  his  friend's  house  until  the  evening  of  Mrs. 
Forel's  return.  The  sun  had  dipped  behind  the  pines  when 
he  reached  it,  and  Forel  and  his  wife  sat  with  Alice  Der- 
ingham  upon  the  verandah,  for  which  the  girl  was  grate- 
ful, because  the  presence  of  others  rendered  their  con- 
ventional greetings  easier,  and  she  at  once  shrank  from 
and  desired  an  interview  with  Alton  alone.  By  and  by  it, 
however,  happened  that  Forel,  who  may  have  received  a 
warning  from  his  wife,  remembered  that  he  had  some 
business  to  attend  to,  while  Mrs.  Forel  went  away,  as 
she  explained,  to  instruct  the  Chinese  cook,  and  Alice 
Deringham  was  left  face  to  face  with  a  task  that  now 
appeared  almost  impossible.  She  could  not  commence  it 
directly. 

"And  now  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  about  Somasco," 
she  said. 

Alton  leaned  with  his  back  against  a  pillar  looking  down 
on  her,  and  the  girl,  who  lay  in  a  long  chair,  wished  that 
she  had  chosen  a  position  where  the  light  did  not  fall  so 
directly  upon  her.  That  was  in  one  respect  curious,  because 
she  had  taken  considerable  pains  with  her  toilet,  and  knew 
that  the  sweeping  lines  of  the  long  black  dress  became  her. 
Its  sombreness  also  emphasized  the  ivory  whiteness  of  her 
neck  and  hands,  while  the  pallor  and  weariness  of  her  face 
awoke  a  tenderness  that  was  far  more  than  pity  in  the  man. 
He  caught  the  glint  of  the  lustrous  red-gold  hair  as  she 
moved  her  head  a  trifle,  and  then  turned  his  eyes  away 
with  a  little  restless  movement  that  did  not  escape  his 
companion, 

336 


MISS  DERINGHAM'S   CONFESSION 

"  We  may  hold  the  mine  after  all,"  he  said. 

"Yes?"  said  Alice  Deringham,  with  an  evident  eager- 
ness which  puzzled  him.  "  That  is  very  good  news.  And 
your  other  difficulties?  You  see,  I  made  Mr.  Forel  talk 
about  them  occasionally." 

The  interest  that  this  implied  was  not  lost  upon  the  man, 
but  he  glanced  away  again. 

"  They  are  less  than  they  were,"  he  said  gravely.  "  Still, 
I  don't  know  that  you  would  care  to  hear  about  these 
things." 

"  That  is  not  very  friendly,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  with 
a  little  smile. 

Alton  glanced  down  at  her  in  swift  surprise,  and  then 
his  face  became  a  mask  again.  "  Well,"  he  said  slowly, 
"  when  I  think  we  would  have  been  beaten  without  it, 
somebody  lent  us  enough  dollars  to  carry  us  through.  It 
sounds  very  simple,  but  it  has  made  a  new  man  of  me.  To 
have  dragged  down  all  the  men  who  trusted  me  would 
have  hurt  me  horribly." 

"  And  this  loan  or  whatever  it  is  will  prevent  that  hap- 
pening? It  was  opportune?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  a  little  glow  came  into  Alton's  eyes — "  It 
was  very  opportune." 

"  You  were  not  so  laconic  at  the  ranch,"  said  the  girl, 
who  smiled  at  him.  "  Once  upon  a  time  you  would  tell 
me  all  about  your  plans." 

The  man  seemed  to  quiver  as  he  met  her  gaze,  and  then 
slowly  straightened  himself.  "  I  have  been  taught  a  good 
deal  since  then  and  know  what  an  egotistical  fool  I  was," 
he  said.  "  Still,  this  loan  makes  too  great  a  difference  to 
me  to  be  expressed  in  words.  You  can  scarcely  understand 
— I  think  no  woman  could — what  it  is  to  feel  utterly 
beaten." 

"  Still,"  said  Alice  Deringham,  with  a  little  flash  in  her 
eyes,  "  I  don't  think  you  ever  quite  felt  that,  and  now  you 
will  have  everything  you  hoped  for  again  ?  " 

Alton's  fingers  closed  suddenly  as  he  looked  down  on 
the  gleaming  hair  and  whiteness  of  the  neck  beneath  it,  for 
the  girl's  face  had  been  turned  from  him.  "  No,"  he  said 
slowly.  "  I  wanted  so  much,  you  see." 

337 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

"And  yet  you  once  seemed  to  think  there  was  nothing 
impossible  to  the  man  who  was  resolute  enough — and  1 
fancied  you  were  right,"  said  the  girl.  "  Still,  the  things 
one  used  to  admire  occasionally  lose  their  value." 

She  glanced  at  him  a  moment,  and  was  afraid  to  look 
again.  The  man's  face  was  very  grim,  but  she  had  seen 
what  was  in  his  eyes,  and  waited  almost  breathless,  until  he 
stooped  and  laid  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder. 

"  Will  you  look  up  and  tell  me  that  again,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  was  sever  quite  sure  whether  she 
looked  up  or  not,  but  she  felt  her  cheeks  glowing  and  the 
man's  hand  tighten  on  her  shoulder.  "  I — I  can't,"  she 
said. 

Perhaps  her  voice  betrayed  her,  for  Alton  had  evidently 
flung  restraint  to  the  winds.  "  Then,"  he  said,  with  the 
quietness  which  she  knew  was  most  often  a  mask  for  his 
vehemence,  "  I  have  something  to  tell  you." 

It  cost  Alice  Deringham  an  effort  she  remembered  all 
her  life,  but  she  shook  off  his  grasp,  and  stopped  him  with 
a  little  imperious  gesture.  "  No,"  she  said,  "  you  must 
listen.  Go  back  to  the  rail." 

Alton  stood  a  moment  irresolute,  the  veins  on  his  fore- 
head swollen  and  passion  in  his  eyes.  Then  he  stretched 
out  his  hand  with  a  little  laugh,  and  Miss  Deringham  knew 
that  unless  she  used  all  her  strength  that  tale  would  never 
be  told.  She  rose  up,  and  stood  looking  at  him,  very 
statuesque  and  cold  now  in  the  long  trailing  dress.  Alton 
let  his  hand  drop  and  bent  his  head. 

"  I  am  only  a  bushman,  and  I  am  sorry,"  he  said.  "  Now 
you  will  sit  down  again." 

It  was  evident  that  he  had  put  a  stern  restraint  upon 
himself,  but  the  girl  knew  that  he  would  listen. 

"  I  have  a  confession  to  make,"  she  said  quietly.  "  You 
will  remember  the  sale  of  Townshead's  ranch,  but  you  do 
not  know  I  kept  back  the  message  Miss  Townshead  sent 
you." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  Nothing  would  convince  me  of 
it.  The  man  who  should  have  brought  it  was  not  sober. 
He  told  me  himself." 

Alice  Deringham  had  not  anticipated  this,  and  the  man's 

338 


MISS  DERINGHAM'S   CONFESSION 

unwavering  faith  in  her  was  worse  to  bear  than  his  anger 
would  have  been.  "  Still,  the  message  was  plain,  and  I 
remembered  it,"  she  said. 

Alton  made  a  little  gesture  of  impatience.  "  No,"  he 
said  resolutely,  "  you  did  not,  and  if  you  had  done  you 
would  have  had  a  reason  that  would  have  made  it  right." 

The  girl  sat  silent  a  few  moments,  her  thoughts  in  con- 
fusion, almost  angry  with  the  man  for  his  loyalty.  "  But 
there  is  more.  You  were  going  back  into  the  ranges  to 
relocate  the  mine — and  I  knew  that  it  would  cost  you  a 
great  deal  when  I  sent  the  note  that  stopped  you." 

The  bronze  faded  suddenly  in  the  man's  face,  and  there 
was  a  dew  upon  his  forehead,  while  the  girl  felt  very  faint 
and  cold  as  she  realized  how  he  would  feel  the  blow.  Yet 
she  could  not  spare  either  herself  or  him,  and  she  struck 
while  she  had  the  courage  left. 

"  I  knew  you  would  risk  everything  if  I  asked  you  to, 
and  that  was  why  I  sent  the  note.  I  wanted  to  hurt  you." 

Alton's  hand  tightened  upon  the  balustrade,  and  then 
turning  slowly  he  paced  along  the  verandah,  while  Alice 
Deringham  choked  back  a  sob  as  she  noticed  that  now  his 
steps  were  uneven.  She  had  accomplished  the  task  that 
was  laid  upon  her,  and  it  only  remained  for  her  to  keep 
silence  and  hide  her  suffering.  In  another  moment  he 
would  descend  the  verandah  stairway  and  she  would  never 
see  him  again.  Alton,  however,  went  past  the  stairway  as 
though  he  did  not  see  it,  moving  clumsily,  with  a  limp  that 
pained  the  girl  more  than  his  face  had  done.  Then  he 
turned  and  she  felt  her  heart  beat  faster,  for  there  was  a 
change  in  him  when  he  came  back  again.  He  stopped  and 
stood  still  close  by  her. 

"  You  must  try  to  forgive  me — but  it  hurt,"  he  said. 

Alice  Deringham  turned  her  face  away  from  him,  and  for 
a  moment  wonder  almost  drove  all  other  emotion  out  of 
her. 

"  I — I  don't  understand.  It  was  I  who  did  that  horrible 
thing." 

"  Then,"  said  Alton  very  gravely,  "  you  were  driven  to  it. 
My  dear,  you  could  of  your  own  will  do  no  wrong." 


339 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

Again  his  great  faith  in  her  brought  the  blood  to  the 
white  face  of  the  girl,  and  her  humiliation  almost  over- 
whelmed her.  Still,  she  was  determined  that  he  should 
know  all,  and  she  struck  again. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  a  cold  incisiveness,  though  her  voice 
was  faint  and  strained.  "  I  did  it  because  I  hated  you — 
and  longed  for  any  means  of  punishing  you." 

Alton  seemed  to  shiver,  but  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  her 
steadily,  and  next  moment  he  had  laid  his  hand  upon  her 
shoulder  and  forced  her  to  look  up  at  him. 

"  Then  we  will  forget  it  together,"  he  said.  "  There  was 
a  mistake  somewhere — for  I  do  not  think  you  could  have 
hated  me." 

Alice  Deringham  made  a  last  struggle;  it  was  a  very 
bitter  one,  for  she  realized  the  all-sufficiency  of  the  love 
that  would  believe  no  evil.  "  It  is  impossible,  and  it  will 
always  be,"  she  said.  "Will  you  not  see  what  I  am,  and 
how.  very  different  that  is  from  what  you  think  of  me  ?  " 

Alton  smiled  gravely.  "  My  dear,  I  want  you  as  you 
are.  How  could  it  make  a  difference  whether  you  had  done 
right  or  wrong — and  I  shall  still  hold  you  blameless  when 
I  know  everything." 

Passion  was  once  more  kindling  in  his  eyes,  and  Alice 
Deringham,  who  saw  it,  rose  stiffly  upright,  holding  on  to 
her  last  strength.  Her  face  was  very  weary,  but  there  was 
something  in  her  eyes  which  restrained  the  man. 

"  I  can  bear  no  more,"  she  said,  with  a  downward  glance 
at  the  long  black  dress.  "  Have  you  forgotten  ?  You  have 
shown  me  what  a  man  can  rise  to,  Harry  Alton,  but  I  will 
not  wrong  you  further  by  marrying  you.  Now  you  must 
say  nothing,  but  out  of  pity  for  me  go  away." 

The  appeal  was  effective,  for  Alton  bent  his  head.  "  I 
am  going — but  there  is  nothing  impossible,  and  I  will  come 
back,"  he  said,  and  moved  slowly  towards  the  stairway. 

Alice  Deringham  watched  him  cross  the  garden,  and  then 
the  last  vestige  of  the  resolution  that  had  sustained  her 
melted,  and  she  went  very  wearily  into  the  house,  where,  as 
it  happened,  Mrs.  Forel  was  waiting  for  her.  The  elder 
lady  asked  no  questions,  for  she  saw  her  face,  but  drew  the 
girl  very  gently  down  beside  her. 

340 


MISS  DERINGHAM'S   CONFESSION 

"  I  am  sorry,  my  dear,"  she  said. 

Alice  Deringham  let  her  head  sink  down  upon  her  com- 
panion's shoulder  and  sobbed  aloud. 

"  There  can  be  very  few  men  like  Harry  Alton,"  she  said 
disjointedly.  "  And  because  I  could  not  abuse  his  good- 
ness I  sent  him  away." 


341 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

THE  CONSUMMATION 

IT  was  hot  outside  in  the  noisy  streets,  but  the  Somasco 
Consolidated  offices  were  quiet  and  cool  when  Alton  enter- 
tained two  of  his  friends  there  one  afternoon.  There  is  no 
special  sanctity  attached  to  a  place  of  business  in  the  West, 
and  nobody  who  knew  Alton  would  have  been  astonished 
to  find  plates  of  fruit  upon  the  papers  which  littered  his 
table,  and  a  spirit-lamp  burning  on  the  big  empty  stove. 
A  very  winsome  young  lady  also  sat  in  a  lounge-chair,  and 
Forel  close  by  glanced  at  her  with  a  most  unbusinesslike 
twinkle  in  his  eyes.  Seaforth  had  been  married  recently, 
and  his  wife  had  called  in  to  see,  so  she  told  Alton,  that  he 
was  not  working  him  too  hard. 

"  You  will  give  Mrs.  Charley  some  tea,"  said  Alton. 
"  Your  husband,  madam,  has  been  brought  up  well,  but 
there  was  a  time  when  I  had  real  trouble  in  teaching  him. 
Forel,  you'll  find  some  ice  and  soda  yonder  as  well  as  the 
other  things." 

Nellie  Seaforth  laughed  a  little  as  she  thrust  the  cup 
away.  "  No,"  she  said ;  "  I  know  where  that  tea  comes 
from,  and  I  would  sooner  have  some  ice  and  soda  with- 
out the  other  things.  Have  the  strawberries  gone  up, 
Harry?" 

Alton  nodded.  "That's  a  fact,  and  I  am  very  glad," 
he  said.  "  You  see,  we  are  sending  out  about  a  ton  of 
them  every  day,  and  there  are  none  to  equal  ours  in  the 
Dominion.  Still,  if  Charley  wasn't  so  lazy  he'd  give  you 
some.  Can't  you  find  that  ice,  Forel?  There  was  a  big 
lump  yesterday." 

"That  is  quite  possible,"  said  Forel  dryly,  "but  it  has 
gone,  and  it  is  apparently  running  out  of  your  plans  and 
estimates  now." 

"Then  vou  will  have  to  fall  back  upon  Horton's  tea." 

342 


THE   CONSUMMATION 

said  Alton,  smiling.  "  Nobody  knows  where  he  gets  it 
from  except  that  it  isn't  China,  but  he  seems  to  think  it's 
my  duty  to  buy  it  from  him,  and  the  rasp  of  it  brings  the 
bush  back  to  me.  Makes  one  smell  the  cedars,  and  see 
the  lake  flashing,  and  I'm  very  tired  of  the  city." 

Mrs.  Seaforth  laughed  as  she  glanced  at  the  bottles  Forel 
was  pitching  out  of  a  box,  for  as  yet  he  had  not  found  one 
with  anything  in  it. 

"Have  you  a  mineral  water  factory  at  Somasco,  too?" 
she  said. 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  But  we  may  have  by 
and  by,  though  some  of  my  partners  would  have  more  use 
for  a  distillery.  We're  going  to  have  everything  that  will 
pay,  but  we've  been  too  busy  making  roads  lately." 

Forel  stood  up,  looking  a  little  more  thoughtful.  "  You 
are,  at  any  rate,  running  up  a  confoundedly  long  bill,"  he 
said.  "  You  will  get  very  few  new  dresses,  Mrs.  Seaforth, 
unless  you  make  your  husband  stop  him.  Of  course  you 
heard  nothing,  Alton,  from  the  roads  and  trails  ?  " 

Alton  laughed  softly.  "  That's  where  you're  wrong.  I 
wrote  them  wanting  to  know  if  they  thought  it  my  duty  to 
open  up  the  country  for  them,  and  I  got  a  letter  that  the 
affair  is  receiving  consideration.  If  the  bush  country 
members  can  get  the  new  appropriation  through,  the  sur- 
veyor's going  up  to  look  at  what  we've  done." 

"  Effrontery  is  the  thing  that  pays,"  said  Forel.  "  But 
have  you  heard  from  Tom  ?  " 

Alton's  face  grew  a  trifle  graver.  "  He  and  more  of  the 
boys  are  sitting  on  the  claim,  and  there's  another  crowd 
camped  down  with  stakes  ready  right  in  front  of  him.  He 
tells  me  he  finds  it  hard  to  keep  his  hands  off  them,  and 
I'd  have  gone  up  only  that  I'm  waiting  for  the  Crown 
folks'  decision." 

"  I  think  they  can  only  declare  the  claim  open,"  said 
Forel,  "  and  that  being  so  they  couldn't  well  send  you  an 
intimation  before  they  made  the  fact  public." 

Nobody  said  anything  for  a  little.  Forel  had  told  them 
nothing  new,  and  they  could  guess  at  the  suspense  Alton 
had  been  enduring,  for  the  decision  of  the  Crown  author- 
ities meant  a  good  deal  to  all  of  them.  If  the  claim  were 

343 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

declared  open,  the  first  man  to  restake  it  and  get  in  his 
papers  could  take  possession. 

"  It  would  be  dreadful  if  Harry  lost  it,"  said  Mrs.  Sea- 
forth.  "  Still,  I  don't  think  he  will." 

Alton  laughed  a  little.  "  I  don't  mean  to  if  I  can  help 
it,"  he  said.  "  I've  had  Thomson  prospecting  for  the 
fastest  road  down,  and  he  has  found  one  that  is  rideable." 

Forel  nodded.  "  That  reminds,"  he  said.  "  Hettie  wants 
to  get  away  from  the  city,  and  I  thought  of  taking  her 
and  Miss  Deringham  up  to  Somasco.  You  will  lend  us 
the  house  for  a  week  or  two  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alton.  "  Go  as  soon  as  it's  possible. 
I  want  a  man  with  a  business  grip  up  there.  My  head  will 
scarcely  hold  all  the  things  I've  been  trying  to  cram  into  it 
lately." 

Mrs.  Seaforth  glanced  at  him  with  a  little  smile  of 
sympathy,  for  although  the  Somasco  affairs  looked  a  little 
more  promising  now,  Alton  had  been  doing  the  work  of 
several  men,  and  the  strain  had  told  on  him.  She  also 
remembered  her  husband's  sleepless  nights. 

"  We  shall  all  be  glad  when  the  anxiety  is  over,  but  one 
can't  help  thinking  that'  you  men  have  the  best  of  it  now 
and  then,"  she  said.  "At  least  you  can  work — while  we 
can  only  sit  still." 

Forel  smiled  upon  her.  "  Well,"  he  said,  without  reflec- 
tion, "  there  is  one  woman  who  has  done  a  good  deal  for 
Somasco." 

He  saw  his  blunder  next  moment,  for  Alton  rose  up 
suddenly.  "  I  would  like  to  hear  that  again,"  he  said. 

Forel  was  manifestly  uncomfortable,  but  he  glanced 
towards  Mrs.  Seaforth  as  he  said,  "  I  think  Charley  will 
back  me  up." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Seaforth,  whose  tone,  however,  chiefly 
expressed  bewilderment;  but  Alton  made  a  little  forceful 
gesture. 

"  Pshaw ! "  he  said.  "  You're  fooling,  Forel,  and  you 
would  never  disclose  who  your  client  was  that  lent  us  the 
money." 

"  No,"  said  Forel  resolutely.  "  Nor  do  I  mean  to.  Sit 
down  again,  Harry,  and  don't  get  fancying  things." 

344 


THE  CONSUMMATION 

Alton  moved  a  pace  forward  with  a  dark  flush  in  his 
face.  "  Forel,"  he  said,  "  where  did  all  those  dollars  come 
from?" 

Forel  looked  almost  abject,  and  in  his  desperation  glanced 
towards  Nellie  Seaforth. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  tell  him  now,"  she  said. 

"You  know,  too?"  said  Forel. 

Nellie  Seaforth  smiled  a  little.  "  I  think  I  knew  all 
along,"  she  said.  "  Still,  Charley  didn't  He  is,  of  course, 
a  man." 

"  Then  one  of  you  has  got  to  tell  me,"  said  Alton. 

Nellie  Seaforth  raised  her  hand  with  a  little  imperious 
gesture.  "  As  you  know  half  of  it  I  think  you  had  better 
hear  it  all,"  she  said.  "  Well,  if  I  had  been  Miss  Dering- 
ham  I  would  have  taken  that  way  of  giving  you  back 
Carnaby.  It  is  possible  to  raise  money  on  an  estate  in  the 
old  country." 

There  was  no  need  of  further  questions,  for  the  answer 
was  written  on  Forel's  flushed  face,  and  Alton  sat  down 
with  his  lips  firmly  set.  Then  there  was  an  awkward 
silence  until  he  spoke  again. 

"And  I  cannot  return  it.  Every  dollar  has  been  sunk 
in  the  mills  and  roads  except  what  we  took  up  the  first 
loan  with." 

Nellie  Seaforth  nodded  with  a  pretty  gravity,  for  the 
bond  between  them  all  was  stronger  than  friendship  usually 
is. 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  and  I  can't  help  thinking  that  it  is  just 
as  well.  One  cannot  shirk  his  responsibilities,  Harry,  and 
you  are  an  Alton — of  Carnaby.  You  see,  nobody  could 
take  your  inheritance  from  you,  nor,  though  you  did  your 
best,  could  you  give  it  away,  and  there  is,  I  fancy,  only 
one  meaning  to  that.  Fate  is  too  strong  for  you.  You 
will  redeem  Carnaby  again,  go  over  there,  and  be — what 
you  were  born  to  be." 

Alton's  face  was  once  more  flushed,  and  the  girl  fancied 
his  fingers  quivered  a  little,  but  while  he  sat  silent  there 
was  a  tapping  at  the  door  and  an  urchin  flung  a  journal  into 
the  room. 

" Colonist"  he  said,  and  vanished  suddenly. 

345 


ALTON  OF.  SOMASCO 

Forel,  who  appeared  glad  of  the  diversion,  picked  up  the 
paper,  and  then  stood  up.  "  News  at  last,"  he  said,  ex- 
citedly. "  I  fancied  we  would  have  had  it  first,  but  the 
news  agency  fellows  have  beaten  us,  Harry ;  it's  more  than 
probably  they're  going  to  rush  the  railroad  through." 

Alton's  eyes  glittered.  "  Great  news,  but  it  will  keep," 
he  said.  "  No,  don't  worry  over  any  more  of  it.  Look  at 
the  notices." 

Forel  folded  back  the  sheet.  Then  it  rustled  in  his  hand, 
and  his  voice  shook  as  he  read  disjointedly:  "Vacant 
Crown  lands.  To  all  it  may  concern.  The  mineral  claims 
on  left  bank  headwaters  Somasco  River  in  unsurveyed  terri- 
tory, frontage  declared  to  be " 

"  Give  it  to  me,  or  get  on,"  Alton  said,  hoarsely. 

The  paper  was  shaking  visibly.  "  Is  declared  to  be  on  or 
after  12  p.  M.  on  the  date  undermentioned  eligible  for  re- 
location," and  Forel  ended  with  a  little  gasp,  "  You  have 
lost  it,  Harry." 

Alton  was  on  his  feet  by  this  time  and  snatching  out  his 
watch.  "  No,  by  the  Lord !  "  he  said.  "  I've  still  rather  a 
better  chance  than  most  other  men.  Head  straight  for  the 
freight  traffic  man,  Charlie,  and  tell  him  I'm  going  up  with 
the  fast  Atlantic  freight  they're  sending  our  empty  cars 
back  on.  Forel,  run  across  and  send  in  your  stenographer. 
There  are  lots  of  things  I've  got  to  do,  and  the  freight  will 
be  going  out  in  an  hour  or  so." 

Nellie  Seaforth  laughed  a  little.  "Then  Mr.  Ford  will 
not  have  time,  and  there's  another  woman  anxious  to  do  a 
little  for  Somasco.  Give  me  a  pencil,  Harry,  and  begin 
right  away." 

Alton  only  flung  her  a  grateful  glance,  and  dictated 
rapidly,  until  Seaforth  appeared  in  the  doorway  flushed 
with  haste,  when  shouting  his  thanks  after  him  he  ran  down 
the  stairway. 

Nellie  Seaforth  laughed  a  little.  "  Good  fortune  go  with 
him.  That  is  Alton — of  Somasco,"  she  said.  "  I  wonder 
whether  he  will  remember  to  put  on  his  hat." 

"  I  don't  think  it's  likely,"  said  her  husband.  "  Nellie,  I 
can't  help  wondering  if  you  were  right  just  now." 

Mrs.  Seaforth  smiled  at  him  curiously.    "  It  was  right  I 

346 


did,"  she  said.  "  Possibly  the  distinction  is  too  fine  for  you, 
but  I  think  the  future  will  justify  me." 

Then  she  drew  off  her  gloves,  and  endeavoured  to  re- 
member only  that  she  had  been  considered  a  capable  business 
lady. 

Forel  went  up  to  Somasco  next  day,  and  one  afternoon 
sat  with  his  wife  and  Miss  Deringham  upon  the  verandah  of 
Horton's  hotel.  Horton  himself  was  pacing  up  and  down, 
and  a  group  of  bronzed  bush  ranchers  stood  in  the  dust 
below.  They  spoke  more  rapidly  than  was  usual  with  them, 
their  movements  were  curiously  restless  for  impassive  men, 
and  their  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  shadowy  trail  that  led 
down  the  valley  beneath  the  sombre  pines.  The  afternoon 
was  still,  and  a  drowsy  resinous  fragrance  hung  heavily 
about  the  hotel.  There  was  no  sound  but  the  low  voices, 
and  the  murmur  of  sliding  water  in  the  distance. 

Alice  Deringham  was  pale  and  very  quiet,  though  there 
was  an  intentness  in  her  eyes,  and  when  Horton  stopped 
close  by  her  she  looked  at  him. 

"  They  have  heard  nothing  yet?  "  she  said. 

"  No,"  said  the  storekeeper.  "  Still,  some  of  them  should 
have  been  here  by  now." 

The  little  nervous  tremor  in  his  voice  did  not  escape  the 
girl,  and  though  it  had  all  been  explained  to  her  before,  she 
said,  "  Then  you  expect  more  than  Mr.  Alton  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  Horton,  who  seemed  glad  to  find  an  outlet 
in  speech,  "  I  don't  quite  know.  You  see  there  was  a  man 
brought  a  wire  in  before  Harry  got  through,  and  once  the 
claim  was  posted  vacant  anybody  could  stake  it.  There's 
a  holy  crowd  of  jumpers  hanging  round  the  mine,  and 
because  there'd  be  such  a  circus  nobody  could  be  sure  who'd 
got  his  pegs  in  first,  the  Crown  people  would  probably  listen 
to  the  man  who  got  through  and  recorded.  Oh,  yes,  they'll 
be  pounding  down  the  trail  as  if  the  devil  was  after  them 
now,  but  there's  none  of  them  got  the  relays  of  horses  we've 
fixed  up  for  Harry." 

Horton  moved  away,  and  the  girl  sat  still  listening,  while 
Mrs.  Forel  stirred  nervously,  and  her  husband  apparently 
found  it  necessary  to  light  his  cigar  again  every  now  and 
then.  The  voices  had  died  away,  and  there  was  no  sound 

347 


ALTON   OF   SOMASCO 

but  the  faint  song  of  water  and  the  patter  of  restless  feet. 
How  long  the  silence  continued  Alice  Deringham  did  not 
know,  but  a  quiver  went  through  her  as  a  hoarse  shout  rose 
up,  "  They're  coming ! " 

Then  there  was  silence  again,  and  she  watched  a  bronzed 
man  rubbing  down  a  great  black  horse  whose  blood  had  not 
come  from  a  Cayuse  pedigree  until  a  faint  drumming  grew 
louder  down  the  trail.  It  swelled  into  a  sharp  staccato,  and 
the  murmurs  commenced  again.  "  Two  of  them.  Another 
man  behind.  Riding  like  brimstone.  Can  you  see  them 
yet?" 

The  drumming  sound  sank,  and  rose  again  in  a  confused 
roar  as  the  horsemen  crossed  a  wooden  bridge  while  Alice 
Deringham  stood  up,  when  once  more  the  voices  rose 
stridently. 

"  One  of  the  jumpers  first.  Harry's  coming  along  be- 
hind. Cayuse  played  out.  Lord,  how  they're  riding ! " 

Then  lips  were  set  tight,  and  steady  eyes  blazed,  as  a  man 
grimed  with  sweat  and  dust  who  reeled  in  his  saddle  swept 
out  from  the  forest  on  a  jaded  horse.  Most  of  those  who 
watched  him  had  a  heavy  stake  in  that  race,  for  it  was  with 
Alton's  prosperity  they  must  stand  or  fall;  but  the  bush- 
man's  code  of  honour  is  as  high  as  it  is  simple,  and  they 
sprang  aside  to  give  the  rider  a  free  passage.  The  man 
blinked  at  them  in  a  curious  dazed  fashion,  as  he  rode  on, 
the  dust  whirling  behind  him  and  the  lather  dripping  tinged 
with  red  from  the  horse's  whitened  sides. 

Still,  the  drumming  behind  grew  louder,  and  he  had 
scarcely  sunk  into  the  shadows  when  Alton,  stripped  to 
shirt  and  trousers,  rode  in.  He,  too,  swayed  in  his  saddle, 
and  his  face  was  foul  with  dust,  but  it  was  firmly  set,  and 
there  was  a  glint  in  his  eyes,  while  as  he  swept  out  of  the 
shadow  of  the  pines  two  men  led  the  horse  out  into  the 
trail.  He  reined  his  beast  in  upon  its  haunches,  swung 
himself  down,  thrust  aside  the  pitcher  somebody  tendered 
him,  and  with  a  swing  that  rent  the  white  shirt  was  once 
more  in  the  saddle.  Then  there  was  a  scattering  of  the 
crowd  and  a  shouting  broke  out. 

"You'll  have  him  in  a  league,  Harry.  Another  horse 
ready  at  Thomson's  ranch." 

348 


"REMEMBER  YOU'RE  RIDING  FOR  ALL  OF  US  AND  SOMASCO," 
CRIED  SOMEBODY. — Page  349. 


THE   CONSUMMATION 

Alice  Deringham  held  her  breath  as,  while  a  third  beat  of 
hoofs  grew  louder  behind,  Alton  gathered  up  the  bridle 
and  drove  his  heels  home.  The  horse,  frightened  by  the 
clamour,  reared  almost  upright  and  then  backed  across  the 
trail,  while  the  girl  wondered  with  a  tense  anxiety  whether 
the  man  would  look  up.  Then  for  just  a  second  he  turned 
his  head,  and  saw  her  standing  on  the  verandah  with  a 
blaze  in  her  cheeks  and  a  dimness  in  her  eyes. 

"  Off  with  you,  Harry,  and  remember  you're  riding  for  all 
of  us  and  Somasco,"  cried  somebody. 

Alton  had  the  beast's  head  up  the  trail  now,  but  as  he 
sent  his  heels  home  he  swung  up  his  right  hand,  and  the 
girl  smiled  down  on  him  bravely  out  of  misty  eyes. 

"  And  for  Carnaby,"  he  cried.    "  I  can't  be  beaten." 

Then  the  horse  shot  forward,  and  he  was  away,  his  torn 
shirt  fluttering  as  the  wind  rushed  past,  while  Alice  Der- 
ingham hastened  to  the  end  of  the  verandah  with  Forel 
to  see  the  last  of  him  just  as  another  man  rode  in  at  a  floun- 
dering gallop. 

The  trail  led  straight  beneath  the  pines,  and  her  heart 
throbbed  painfully  while  she  watched  the  second  rider 
closing  with  the  one  in  front  of  him,  until  the  two  figures 
became  blurred  before  her  eyes,  and  she  turned  suddenly 
cold. 

"  He's  fouling  him,"  cried  somebody,  and  a  roar  of 
execrations  went  up.  "  Both  of  them  for  the  same  com- 
pany. The  condemned  jumper's  right  across  the  trail." 

There  was  silence  once  more,  and  the  two  objects  seemed 
to  rush  together,  then  another  roar  went  up. 

"  Down.  Oh,  yes,  the  jumper's  down.  Harry  rode 
straight  into  him — the  fool  might  have  known  his  horse 
was  blown.  The  other  one's  used  up.  Somasco's  leading 
clear  again." 

Alice  Deringham  was  trembling  visibly,  and  knew  that 
Mrs.  Forel's  eyes  were  upon  her,  but  that  did  not  seem  to 
count  at  all.  She  could  see  a  figure  standing  over  a  fallen 
horse  up  the  trail,  while  another  that  had  already  left  it  far 
behind  was  sinking  into  the  shadow  of  the  pines.  The 
jumper  was  beaten,  but  Alton  was  riding  still — for  Somasco 
and  Carnaby — with  a  fresh  horse  beneath  him. 

349 


ALTON  OF   SOMASCO 

Then  she  turned  to  Mrs.  Forel  with  a  softness  in  her 
eyes  which  somewhat  astonished  the  elder  lady. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  back  to  Somasco  now,"  she  said. 
"  I  am  a  little  tired,  and  I  know  that  he  will  win." 

A  wagon  was  awaiting  them,  and  Forel  several  times 
came  near  overturning  it  in  his  excitement  as  he  drove 
them  home  to  the  ranch. 

It  was  a  week  later  when  one  evening  the  leading  in- 
habitants of  the  district  assembled  in  Somasco  ranch.  Those 
who  were  married  had  brought  their  wives  with  them, 
and  the  cook  and  Mrs.  Margery  had  toiled  since  morning 
to  set  out  the  table  in  a  fashion  befitting  the  occasion,  for 
the  chief  roads  and  trails  surveyor  and  a  member  of 
the  Provincial  Government  were  to  be  entertained  that 
evening. 

The  sombre  green  of  cedar-sprays  relieved  the  red- 
veined  panelling,  there  were  flowers  and  early  fruits  upon 
the  table,  and  the  fragrance  of  the  firs  came  in  through  the 
open  windows,  while  when  the  bronzed  men  filed  in  there 
was  expectancy  in  their  steady  eyes.  Several  of  them  had 
ridden  here  and  there  with  the  surveyor  all  that  day,  and 
he  had  expressed  grave  approval  of  all  they  had  shown 
him.  Once,  too,  he  appeared  a  trifle  astonished  when  point- 
ed out  the  new  road  they  had  driven  under  Alton's  guid- 
ance along  the  mountain  side.  It  would  reduce  the  distance 
to  the  settlement  several  miles,  but  it  had  cost  many  dollars 
and  weeks  of  perilous  toil,  while  the  surveyor  had  only 
stated  that  it  was  well  done,  and  the  men  of  Somasco  had 
as  yet  no  answer  to  the  important  question  whether  the 
Government  would  complete  what  remained  unfinished  or 
in  any  way  recompense  them. 

Supper  was  served  with  as  much  ceremony  as  was 
possible  at  Somasco,  but  the  meal  was  a  somewhat  silent 
one.  The  ranchers  were  a  trifle  anxious  while  the  surveyor 
spoke  most  to  Alice  Deringham,  who  sat  next  him  near  the 
head  of  the  table,  and  the  member  of  the  Government 
divided  his  observations  between  the  wife  of  a  big  axeman 
and  Mrs.  Forel.  All  of  those  present  knew  that  events  of 
great  importance  to  them  were  happening  in  the  city,  but 
save  for  a  brief  telegram  from  Alton  stating  that  he  had 

350 


THE   CONSUMMATION 

been  allowed  to  record  the  mine  and  would  return  in  a  day 
or  two  they  had  no  authentic  news. 

It  was  almost  a  relief  when  the  meal  was  over,  and  there 
was  a  sudden  hush  of  attention  as  the  surveyor  rose  up. 
Every  eye  was  turned  upon  the  grave-faced  gentleman  at 
the  head  of  the  table. 

"  I  have  spent  a  good  many  years  building  roads  and 
bridges  in  various  parts  of  the  Dominion,  and  have  never 
seen  better  work  than  you  have  shown  me  to-day,"  he  said. 
"  Now  I  don't  quite  know  if  you  expected  me  to  talk  busi- 
ness on  this  occasion,  but  I'm  going  out  early  to-morrow, 
and  I  fancy  your  good  ladies  are  as  anxious  as  you  are  about 
the  welfare  of  Somasco." 

A  woman  with  hard  brown  hands  turned  in  her 
chair. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  said.  "  We  are  that,  anyway,  and  because 
we're  most  of  us  working  twelve  hours  every  day  just  for 
the  right  to  live,  we've  sent  out  our  men  to  make  the  roads 
that  are  to  bring  the  dollars  that  will  make  things  easier 
in.  The  Government  don't  help  us,  we're  doing  the  work 
ourselves,  and  we'll  go  out,  too,  with  the  drill  and  shovel  if 
the  men  are  beaten." 

There  was  a  deprecatory  murmur  that  had  yet  in  it  grim 
approval,  and  the  surveyor  smiled  a  little. 

"  That,  I  think,  is  the  spirit  which  is  going  to  make  this 
province  the  greatest  in  the  Dominion,"  he  said.  "  Well, 
I  may  tell  you  that  I  was  sent  up  here  with  a  tolerably 
wide  discretion,  and  after  seeing  the  rock  cutting  by  the 
lake  I'm  going  to  use  it  now.  Nothing  better  has  been 
done  in  the  province,  and  the  man  who  planned  it  for  you 
had  courage  as  well  as  genius.  It  is  a  most  daring  and 
successful  piece  of  engineering." 

A  little  flush  crept  into  the  bronzed  faces,  and  Mrs.  Forel 
noticed  the  brightness  in  Alice  Deringham's  eyes,  for  the 
man  who  had  spoken  was  a  famous  engineer. 

"  Well,"  he  said  gravely,  "  we  are  going  to  take  over 
that  road — as  from  the  beginning — and  finish  it  for  you. 
That  is,  you  will  be  paid  by  the  province  for  every  day 
you  spent  upon  it,  and  I  leave  it  to  the  man  who  com- 
menced it  to  see  the  work  through.  His  pay  orders  will 


ALTON   OF,   SOMASCO 

be  honoured,  and  I  should  very  much  like  to  see  and  com- 
pliment him." 

A  murmur  ran  along1  the  table,  for  the  Government  pay 
is  good  and  a  road-making  grant  a  coveted  boon  in  each 
lonely  valley,  whose  inhabitants  are  usually  glad  to  keep 
the  work  in  their  own  hands. 

"  Boys,"  said  somebody,  "  this  is  what  comes  of  trusting 
Harry." 

It  was  a  simple  speech,  but  the  second  murmur  which 
followed  it  and  the  confidence  in  the  bronzed  faces  stirred 
Alice  Deringham.  She  had  been  taught  a  little  about 
these  silent  men,  and  knew  the  value  of  their  testi- 
mony. 

The  surveyor  sat  down,  and  the  member  stood  up.  "  I 
can  add  a  little,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "  Roads  are  always 
useful,  and  we'll  give  you  a  good  one,  and,  if  my  word  goes 
far  enough,  a  grant  to  cut  across  trails  with  and  improve 
your  bridges,  but  you're  going  to  have  a  better  one  than 
any  you  can  build." 

He  stopped  a  moment,  and  there  was  not  a  sound  in  the 
room.  The  men  sat  still  as  statues,  the  women  drew  in 
their  breath,  and  the  song  of  the  river  came  in  through 
the  windows  in  slow  pulsations.  Every  eye  was  on  the 
speaker,  and  now  and  then  a  hard  brown  hand  quivered  a 
little,  but  in  the  midst  of  their  suspense  there  was  no  man 
weak  enough  to  ask  a  premature  question. 

The  surveyor  smiled  a  little.  "  Gentlemen,"  he  said 
slowly,  "you  have  all  heard  conflicting  rumours,  but  I 
have  had  a  message,  and  you  can  take  it  as  a  fact  that 
you  will  have  the  steel  road  very  shortly." 

This  time  there  was  a  roar  that  shook  the  rafters,  and  a 
rattle  of  flung-back  chairs  as  the  men  rose  to  their  feet. 
They  had  toiled  and  hoped  for  this,  holding  on  with  grim 
endurance  when  hope  had  almost  gone,  and  now  all  that 
they  had  looked  for  was  to  be  given  them.  There  was  no 
man  present  who  did  not  know  that  his  ranch  was  worth 
treble  what  it  had  been  a  few  days  ago,  or  woman  who 
could  not  see  that  henceforward  there  need  be  no  more 
ceaseless  drudgery.  One,  indeed,  laughed  inanely,  clasping 
her  hardened  hands,  and  a  dimness  crept  into  eyes,  more 

352 


THE   CONSUMMATION 

than  one  pair  of  eyes,  from  which  the  care  that  had  long 
lurked  there  had  vanished  suddenly. 

Then  a  man  swung  up  a  brimming  glass.  "  Boys," 
he  said,  a  trifle  hoarsely,  "  it's  only  cider  this  time,  but 
you  can  drink  what  I'm  going  to  give  you  in  champagne 
when  the  railroad's  through.  Here's  the  man  who  stood 
right  with  us  through  everything,  the  man  who  beat  off 
Hallam,  and  brought  the  railroad  in." 

There  was  a  jingle  of  glasses,  and  the  surveyor  and  the 
member  stood  up  with  the  rest,  while,  for  the  men  had  let 
themselves  go  at  last,  a  great  shout  rang  out,  "  Harry  Alton, 
Alton  of  Somasco." 

Then  there  was  silence,  and  while  the  men  stood  with 
flushed  faces  too  stirred  as  yet  to  remember  that  they  had 
done  an  unusual  thing,  Seaforth,  who  had  come  up  on 
some  business  from  Vancouver  with  his  wife,  moved  out  a 
little  from  the  rest. 

*'  Boys,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  shook  a  little,  "  I  would 
have  tried  to  thank  you  on  behalf  of  the  best  comrade  you 
or  I  ever  had,  only  that  I  fancy  he  will  be  here  in  a  minute 
to  answer  for  himself." 

He  stopped  abruptly,  and  through  the  silence  that  fol- 
lowed all  heard  a  drumming  that  might  have  been  made 
by  the  hoofs  of  a  galloping  horse,  and  Mrs.  Forel  wondered 
as  she  glanced  at  the  girl  opposite  her  across  the  table. 
Alice  Deringham  had  like  the  rest  been  stirred  out  of  her 
reticence,  and  now  she  seemed  almost  transfigured  with 
the  warm  flush  in  her  cheeks  and  the  pride  discernible 
through  the  softness  in  her  eyes. 

The  beat  of  hoofs  stopped  presently,  and  a  man  came 
hastily  through  the  verandah.  Alice  Deringham  could  not 
see  him,  but  the  flush  in  her  cheeks  grew  deeper,  for  she 
knew  that  slightly  uneven  step.  Then  there  was  a  move 
towards  the  door,  and  she  sat  almost  alone  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  knowing  that  somebody  was  shouldering  his  way 
through  those  who  thronged  about  him  in  her  direction. 
Still  she  could  not  look  until  a  man  dropped  into  the 
vacant  chair  beside  her.  Then  she  saw  that  Alton  was 
glancing  down  at  her  with  a  question  in  his  face. 

"  You  are  pleased  that  we  have  won  ?  "  he  said. 

353 


ALTOiV   OF   SOMASCO 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  who  felt  that  speech  had  its  limits. 
"  I  knew  you  would." 

Alton  seemed  to  sigh  with  a  great  contentment.  "  Then," 
he  said  quietly,  "  if  it  was  only  to  hear  that  I  would  begin 
it  all  again." 

He  had  no  opportunity  for  further  speech.  There  were 
questions  to  be  asked  and  answers  given,  while  it  was  some 
hours  later  and  most  of  the  guests  had  departed  when 
he  found  Alice  Deringham  alone  upon  the  verandah.  The 
moon  hung  over  the  cedars  on  a  black  hillside,  the  lake 
flung  back  its  radiance  steelily,  and  the  stillness  was  made 
musical  by  the  sound  of  falling  water.  Alton  had  come 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  surveyor  with  a  glint  of 
triumph  in  his  eyes. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  wanting  to  make  this  the 
greatest  day  of  my  life,  but  without  it  all  the  rest  counts 
for  nothing.  You  know  what  it  is,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alice  Deringham  simply.  "  But  why  did 
you  not  ask  for  it  earlier,  Harry.  It  would  have  saved 
one  of  us  so  much." 

Alton  laughed  a  little,  and  glanced  down  at  his  knee. 
"  Well,  I  fancied — but,  pshaw,  I  was  a  fool,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alice  Deringham.  "  I  think  you  were — for 
I  was  only  sorry  then.  And — after  all  that  has  happened 
— are  you  not  foolish  still.  I  am  not  the  woman  you 
fancy  I  am,  Harry,  and  you  know  how  I  have  wronged 
you." 

"  You  are  the  one  I  want,"  said  Alton  gravely.  "  And 
I  know  who  it  was  gave  all  she  had  to  help  me  when  I 
was  beaten." 

Alice  Deringham  still  drew  back  from  him.  "It  was 
your  own,  and  you  do  not  quite  know  all  yet,"  she  said. 
"  I  am  a  penniless  girl " 

Alton  laughed  exultantly  as  he  stooped  and  caught  her 
wrist.  "All  that  I  want  the  most  you  give,  and  when 
you  sent  me  away  I  knew  it  was  mine,"  he  said.  "  But 
Somasco,  and  the  silver  up  yonder,  is  mine,  too,  and  that 
when  we  have  redeemed  Carnaby  will  be  quite  enough 
for  two." 

Alice  Deringham  made  no  further  resistance,  but  glanced 

354 


THE   CONSUMMATION 

up  into  his  eyes  as  he  drew  her  to  him,  and  then  felt  his 
arm  close  round  her  with  a  great  contentment. 

It  was  half  an  hour  later  when  she  met  Nellie  Seaforth 
in  a  corridor,  and  the  latter  stretched  her  hands  out  im- 
pulsively and  kissed  her. 

"  You  need  not  tell  me,  and  I  am  very  glad,"  she  said. 
"  Of  course  you  will  be  happy.  He  is  a  good  man." 

Alice  Deringham  coloured  in  a  fashion  Nellie  Seaforth 
had  not  believed  her  capable  of,  and  there  was  a  depth  of 
grave  tenderness  in  her  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  simply.  "  And  because  of  his  goodness 
I  must  try  to  be  a  better  woman." 

She  passed  on,  and  Nellie  Seaforth,  who  found  her  hus- 
band, smiled  at  him.  "  It  has  all  come  right,  and  I  don't 
think  Harry  will  be  sorry,  though  he  might  have  been  had 
it  happened  earlier,"  she  said. 

"  That  strikes  me  as  a  little  mixed,"  said  Seaforth  dryly. 

Mrs.  Seaforth  shook  her  head  at  him.  "  No.  It's  quite 
plain,"  she  said.  "  I  think  Miss  Deringham  has  been 
taught  a  good  deal,  and  whatever  she  may  have  been  she 
will  only  be  lovable  as  Mrs.  Alton." 

Seaforth  smiled  gravely.  "  Now  I  understand — fellow- 
feeling  prompts  me  to,  and  of  course  you  are  right,"  he 
said.  "  There  must  be  a  special  blessing  on  those  who, 
like  you  and  Harry,  ask  very  little,  and  give  with  an  open 
hand." 


THE  END 


355 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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